L.A. Mayor Urges Lakers Fans To ‘Behave Responsibly’
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa urged Los Angeles Laker fans today to behave responsibly after the NBA championship game against the Boston Celtics, to avoid a repeat of the rowdiness and vandalism that followed last year’s final game.
“Our hope is that the people of Los Angeles will understand that the best way to celebrate a victory — and there will be a victory — on Thursday night is to do so in a way that respects this community,” Villaraigosa told reporters.
Watch Game-7 Thursday Night At 6pm On KESQ News Channel 3
The seventh game of the best-of-seven NBA finals will begin about 6 p.m. Thursday at Staples Center. Police were expected to have beefed-up patrols on hand to prevent problems from developing.
On June 14, 2009, the Lakers sealed an NBA championship with a victory in Florida against the Orlando Magic. That night in Los Angeles, there was a melee outside Staples Center that included a bonfire.
During the various impromptu celebrations that erupted, a shoe store was broken into and cleaned out of its stock; a gas station was looted; a Metro Blue Line train was damaged; a dozen LAPD vehicles and a sheriff’s vehicle were damaged; and six Metro buses were damaged. Several LAPD officers were hurt, and more than a dozen people were arrested.
