Topline
The Los Angeles Police Department declared an unlawful assembly and fired projectiles in an effort to halt unruly celebrations by football fans Sunday night as hundreds of Rams supporters took to the streets in downtown Los Angeles to celebrate their team’s Super Bowl victory.
Police officers take position to disperse LA Rams fans in downtown Los Angeles after the Los Angeles … [+]
Key Facts
In a statement on Twitter, the LAPD said it was seeing “violent and destructive behavior” by large crowds in the downtown area of the city and ordered crowds to obey its dispersal orders and clear the streets immediately.
The police warned that people who fail to obey dispersal orders and those “involved in criminal activity” will be subject to arrest.
According to the Los Angeles Times, some fans shot off fireworks in the middle of an intersection, some climbed street lights, while others “taunted” police officers and threw glass bottles in their direction.
Some of the revelers also reportedly threw water bottles and traffic cones, climbed on top of parked vehicles and sprayed graffiti onto buildings and a metrobus while the driver was still inside.
The police reportedly fired projectiles at the crowd to force them to disperse, according to the report.
Crucial Quote
After having urged people to “celebrate responsibly” immediately after the game, the LAPD a few hours later tweeted: “Do not allow your actions to tarnish a great Super Bowl win.”
Tangent
In a separate statement on Twitter, the LAPD said its officers stopped a vehicle after it was seen doing donuts in the Downtown LA area after the Super Bowl. The officers recovered a loaded firearm from the passenger compartment and arrested a suspect. It’s unclear if the arrested individual was one of the celebrating fans.
Key Background
Hundreds of fans swarmed the streets of downtown Los Angeles on Sunday night after the Los Angeles Rams beat the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 in the 56th Super Bowl at the SoFi Stadium. Despite being down 20-16 with less than a minute and a half remaining on the clock, the home team managed to pull off a stellar comeback with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp.
Further Reading
LAPD cracks down on Super Bowl celebration in Downtown L.A. (Los Angeles Times)
LA Rams Edge Cincinnati Bengals In A Super Bowl Comeback They Couldn’t Have Scripted Better (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2022/02/14/lapd-declares-unlawful-assembly-after-rams-fans-super-bowl-celebrations-get-rowdy/