Despite the growing number of coronavirus cases and government orders to stay home as long as possible, people are still gathering for big parties.
Last weekend, a man was fatally shot at an underground party in downtown Los Angeles, 67 people were arrested at a party in Compton and a third in Los Angeles was jailed after a shooting, according to law enforcement officials.
The shooting at the downtown party occurred just before 10:45 p.m. Saturday in Block 400 on South Hewitt Avenue, said officer Melissa Podany, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Police Department.
When police arrived, they found a 25-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman with gunshot wounds. The man died at a hospital and the woman was in stable condition, Podany said.
Podany described the party as “big”. No one has been arrested, and the shooter or shooters are still at large.
About two hours later, deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department split the Compton assembly from the 1900 block of East Rosecrans Avenue.
Among the 67 people arrested, mostly for violations of coronavirus regulations, were six minors. One person was arrested for possession of an illegal firearm and there was evidence of illegal use of nitrogen oxide at the party, said Trina Schrader.
Photos released Monday by the Sheriff’s Department showed dozens of masked partygoers sitting on a sidewalk waiting to be processed.
A third party last weekend in the 3600 block of West Pico Boulevard in Arlington Heights was closed by the LAPD, sheriff’s officials said in a press release.
The sheriff’s department was unable to provide a date and date for the party, and LAPD officials were unable to provide additional information.
As of December, sheriff’s deputies had arrested 253 people in connection with “super-spread” events, officials said.
With few exceptions, all public and private gatherings of people from multiple households are prohibited under health orders issued by the Los Angeles County Department of Health.
In a press release on Monday, the sheriff’s department said it would continue to take action against people who violate these orders.
“The driving concern was that these incidents violated the orders of the Los Angeles County Health Officer regarding the COVID protocols, also known as the ‘super-spreading event,'” the department said. “The purpose of these implementation actions is to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and the risk to our vulnerable populations.”
In LA, violations of the “Safer at Home” Order issued by Mayor Eric Garcetti are also a misdemeanor that can lead to fines or imprisonment. But the LAPD has generally taken a milder approach than the Sheriff’s Department. Podany said the main objective of the LAPD is to achieve voluntary compliance.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is making people party at the 1900 block of East Rosecrans Avenue in Compton.
(LA County Sheriff’s Department)
In recent months, large gatherings have been linked to the spread of COVID-19 in several cases, including a 55-person wedding in Maine that led to infection 176 other people, of which at least seven died. Gatherings around Thanksgiving have been cited as a catalyst for the continued growth of COVID-19 in Southern California.
Law enforcement agencies are not immune to risky rallies: a outbreak of COVID-19 has occurred at the Long Beach Police Department related to a training session which brought together hundreds of officers inside, without face masks.
LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva as well came under fire because it allowed a party of 150 people to be held in Palmdale in early December, despite advanced knowledge of the event.
Villanueva said deputies watched the start of the party so they could arrest the people who organized it. They also rescued a teenager from sex trafficking on the spot. Nearly 160 people, including 35 minors, were arrested in connection with the party.
“This is worth spending our resources on, because if we get rid of these super-widespread events, we will improve our ability to fight the pandemic,” Villaneuva told a news conference about the Palmdale party.
Times personal writer Alene Tchekmedyian contributed to the report.