The Los Angeles Police Department plans to conduct traffic enforcement on the 6th Street Bridge on Sunday following days of street takeovers, crashes and other illegal activity that led to closures.
“Due to recent illegal activity and various safety concerns occurring on the 6th Street Viaduct, the Los Angeles Police Department’s Operations Central Bureau will be conducting a traffic enforcement operation to ensure safe passage and movement along the bridge itself” police explained in a news release Friday.
The traffic and pedestrian enforcement will be in effect from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday.
“The mission of the operation is to deter criminal activity, arrest law violators, and conduct criminal investigations along the bridge,” officials further explained. “In order to maintain crowd safety, perimeter control, and safe movement of participants, the bridge will be subject to closing and expeditiously reopening.”
Authorities had closed the bridge for three straight nights beginning July 22 because of illegal activity, which was widely documented on social media.
The first closure came after a traffic collision, police said. A pickup truck parked in a no-parking zone was struck by another vehicle. Last Saturday, the roadway was closed again due to illegal activity and disruptions by people who police say were looking for attention from social media.
The $588-million bridge that connects Boyle Heights to downtown L.A. has been plagued by street takeovers, racing and even climbers since it opened to the public earlier this month. Last week, an explosive was hurled at a KTLA reporter during a live report about a recent closure.
Authorities have vowed to take a more proactive role in curbing delinquency at the bridge, and fencing was added around some of it in an effort to stop climbers.