Taggers graffiti 27 floors of vacant high-rise across from downtown LA's Crypto.com Arena

Leanne Suter Image
Thursday, February 1, 2024
Taggers graffiti 27 floors of vacant high-rise in downtown LA
An unfinished skyscraper in downtown Los Angeles is described by some as an eyesore. Now, it's even more unsightly after 27 of its floors were vandalized with graffiti.

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- It's an unfinished skyscraper that many say is an eyesore.

Now, it's even more unsightly thanks to vandals who tagged it.

On Wednesday evening, video from AIR7 HD showed the trespassers -- several stories up --spraying graffiti on the exterior of the building.

"I looked up and I seen it, but then I seen the people up there," Chris Taylor, who was in town from Atlanta. "I was like, oh, they still got more to do!"

Floor after floor has been tagged on several sides of the empty three-tower complex near Crypto.com Arena and L.A. Live.

"It's so tagged up how," said Phoebe Lopez. "How the heck did they get up there? It's crazy. And then he's like, I think I saw it on the other side as well."

"I was surprised," said Nick Davis, a resident of Scottsdale, Ariz. "I mean, you look at a building like that and you think: How does somebody tag a building like that?"

Construction work on Oceanwide Plaza stopped in October 2020 after the project's China-based developer ran out of money.

The unfinished skyscraper, which was set to have upscale condos, a five-star hotel and a shopping mall has, reportedly been up for sale for more than a year.

"At first, I was pretty amazed that they even got up there," said Jason Lugo. "Because, you know, it's a pretty tall building. To be able to hit that high, it's pretty interesting. People have a lot of, uh, I guess you could say bravery, to just sneak up there and get up there and tag it up.

"But the development looks like it's been just done for a while, so I see why they're taking advantage of it."

The Los Angeles Police Department said it has met with the property's management and officials from City Councilman Kevin de León's office, to collaborate on better securing the property and adding additional security measures.