Homeless man arrested in downtown Los Angeles' chainsaw tree massacre
A man has been arrested in connection with dozens of city-owned trees in Los Angeles that were cut down with a chainsaw over the Easter Holiday weekend.
While law enforcement officials had no leads on April 20, some Angelenos were busy posting photos to Reddit and Instagram of all the felled trees downtown.
In photos, trees were seen in pieces at locations including 1st Street and Wilshire Boulevard, Olympic Boulevard and Hope Street, Olympic Boulevard and Figueroa Street, Broadway and Cesar Chavez Avenue, Grand Avenue in front of the Wells Fargo Center and Grand Avenue and 5th Street.
By late afternoon Easter Sunday, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass had chimed in, saying in a statement that 'someone would do this is truly beyond comprehension.'
Cindy Aguilar, a building manager at 8th Street and Union Avenue, said she saw the news over the weekend but never thought anyone would target trees in the Westlake area until she began scouring through her building's surveillance cameras Monday morning.
That's when she found images of the suspect hard at work.
'It was very sad to see trees just come down like,' she told KTLA's Mary Beth McDade. 'They're damaged and they can't just grow again. We might have to replace them and they're a lot of money.'
$4M in stolen cargo recovered from South American theft crew in L.A.
Aguilar reached out to a nearby business owner who confirmed he saw what appeared to be the same person taking trees down with a chainsaw.
By Tuesday evening, police had released a community alert with a picture of the chainsaw-wielding suspect. Rampart officers told KTLA that they recognized the man as homeless and were aware of some of his regular hangouts.
While police didn't say exactly where, the suspect was located at one of those hangouts and taken into custody, the chainsaw still on him, according to police.
City Public Works crews have already started the work of removing the timber and cleaning up. Trees that belong to the city are expected to be replaced.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Mayor Karen Bass Implements Curfew in Downtown L.A. Amid Ongoing Protests
After four days of protests against ICE raids, Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass announced that a one-square-mile area of downtown will be under curfew starting at 8 p.m. Tuesday. 'I have declared a local emergency,' Bass said, 'and declared a curfew to stop the vandalism, to stop the looting.' More from Variety L.A. Aims to Lower Production Costs by Requiring Only One City Staffer on Film Sets Karen Bass Plugs Hike in Film Tax Credit: 'Let's Bring Hollywood Back' L.A. Mayor Karen Bass Appoints Steve Soboroff to Lead Pacific Palisades Rebuilding Efforts 'Last night, there were 23 businesses that were looted,' she continued. 'If you do not live or work in downtown L.A., avoid the area.' Bass said she expected the curfew, which lasts until 6 a.m., to last several days. But she emphasized that the vandalism was not widespread. 'It is extremely important to know that what is happening in this one square mile is not affecting the city. Some of the imagery of the protests gives the appearance that this is a citywide crisis, and it is not.' The curfew area covers the central part of the downtown area from the 110 freeway to the 5 freeway, stretching to the 10 freeway to the south. Last week, immigration agents descended on Los Angeles and began detaining individuals they suspected of being undocumented. A number of mostly peaceful protests were held over the weekend, but directed by President Trump, the National Guard arrived in Los Angeles to maintain order. Mayor Bass, Gov. Gavin Newsom and the LAPD repeatedly emphasized that the Los Angeles Police Department had the situation in hand, but the arrival of the National Guard only inflamed tensions more, and 50 arrests were made over the weekend. Best of Variety 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? 25 Hollywood Legends Who Deserve an Honorary Oscar New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week
Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Arrests made outside Federal Building, protesters flood 101 Freeway
The fifth day of anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles has already resulted in demonstrators being ordered by the LAPD to disperse from the downtown L.A. Federal Building. Just after 2 p.m., the Police Department ruled Tuesday's protest an 'unlawful assembly' and issued the dispersal order as protesters assembled on Alameda Street between Aliso and Temple streets. Los Angeles Police Department officials said less-than lethal rounds were authorized and any remaining demonstrators would be taken into custody. Video from Sky 5 showed officers begin making arrests around 3 p.m. Tuesday's gathering comes following another night of protests that resulted in vandalism and some looting in a small portion of downtown L.A., in which more than 100 people were arrested primarily for failure to disperse. Tensions have continued to rise in Los Angeles since last Friday, when an unexpected immigration enforcement operation took place at multiple locations in the area. Those raids have popped up in other neighborhoods in L.A., and expanded to other cities in Southern California. The protests serve as the backdrop for an ongoing war of words pitting California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass against President Donald Trump and his top advisors whose focus remains on high-profile, high-visibility deportations and immigration stings. The L.A. protests have led to nationwide calls for participation, with many slated to take place in major metropolitan areas in the coming days, including Austin, Seattle and Boston. Protests also spread into Orange County when ICE raids were confirmed in Santa Ana. Gov. Newsom has attempted to stop the Trump Administration from unilaterally mobilizing troops in the city center, an effort that hit a roadblock Tuesday afternoon after a federal judge rejected his emergency motion to stop the deployment. KTLA 5 News will bring continuing coverage of these anti-ICE protests throughout the evening and through the remainder of the week, as needed. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Yahoo
LA officials enact curfew for parts of Downtown following days of protests
A curfew has been issued for part of Downtown Los Angeles following days of civil unrest triggered by ICE raids. Mayor Karen Bass announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the curfew will be in effect from 8 p.m. Tuesday to 6 a.m. Wednesday 'to stop the vandalism, to stop the looting.' A curfew has been in considered for days, she said. 'But clearly after the violence that took place last night – 23 businesses looted – and just the extensive widespread nature of the vandalism, we reached a tipping point.' 'I will consult with elected leaders and law enforcement officials tomorrow on the continuation of the curfew but we certainly expect for it to last for several days,' Bass added. The curfew covers one square mile in downtown Los Angeles, and there are exceptions for residents, people traveling to and from work and credentialed media. LA Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell emphasized that anyone who is within the designated curfew area in Los Angeles between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. – and is not deemed exempt – will be 'subject to arrest.' 'The curfew is a necessary measure to protect lives and safeguard property following several consecutive days of growing unrest throughout the city,' McDonnell said Tuesday. Protests entered a fifth day on Tuesday. A few dozen protesters gathered peacefully downtown in front of the federal detention center Tuesday, which was quickly declared an unlawful assembly, the Associated Press reported. Earlier Tuesday, California Governor Gavin Newsom asked a federal court to block the Trump administration from using the National Guard and Marines to assist with immigration raids in Los Angeles, saying it would only heighten tensions and promote civil unrest. He filed the emergency request after Trump ordered the deployment to LA of roughly 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines following protests directed at the president's stepped-up enforcement of immigration laws. The federal government said Newsom was seeking an unprecedented and dangerous order that would interfere with its ability to carry out enforcement operations. A hearing on the matter is set for Thursday. In a public address on Tuesday night, Newsom said Trump 'chose theatrics over public safety' when he deployed the National Guard to California without his support and that the decision was a 'brazen abuse of power.' He criticized Trump for the mass deportations, saying that the administration is 'indiscriminately targeting hard working immigrant families regardless of their roots or risk' and that the immigration crackdown has gone well beyond arresting criminals as 'dishwashers, gardeners, day laborers and seamstresses' are among those being detained. 'Everyday Angelenos came out to exercise their constitutional right to free speech and assembly, to protest their government's action,' Newsom said. 'The situation was winding down, but that's not what Donald Trump chose more force.' Newsom said Trump's decision should be a warning to other states. 'California may be first — but it clearly won't end here,' he said.
