From Newsgroup: alt.sports.basketball.nba

On Sunday night, after LeBron JamesA Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA
title, thousands of fans of the team celebrated outside the Los Angeles Staples Center, but things turned ugly when some members of the crowd
targeted police, hurling rocks and bottles at them.

Despite the coronavirus restrictions placed on public activity in
California and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti urging fans to stay home
and avoid congregating, fans ignored the warnings and gathered en
masse.

oLAPD went into tactical alert and declared the gathering an unlawful assembly,o KABC reported. oCars were seen performing adonutsA and
aburnouts,A some cars were swarmed by fans in the streets. Multiple
fireworks were set off and there were isolated reports of small groups throwing rocks and bottles at police.o

On Friday, Garcetti stated that fans should not jeopardize oall the
progress we have made in our fight against COVID-19 isnAt reversed from
one night of celebration. I encourage you to yell at the top of your
lungs inside your homes, maybe even open up the window or step outside
your door as weAve done for our first responders and essential medical
workers to thank them. LetAs thank the Lakers when they win, but letAs
do it safe,o The Daily Mail noted.

Some fans trashed police cars:
https://twitter.com/i/status/1315496558599827456

oThe mob started as a few intoxicated and rowdy Lakers fans began
throwing beer bottles and other aprojectilesA at uniformed police
officers that swarmed the arena,o Bleacher Report noted. oThe few
isolated incidents soon grew to a large mob of sports fans which soon
made their way down the streets of Los Angeles turning over police cars
and breaking into local businesses. Some innocent bystanders became
injured in the incident as the horde came rushing down the streets.o

Lakers fans have rioted after LakersA championships before. After the
Lakers won the 2000 NBA title, CBS News reported: oFans celebrating the LakersA first championship in 12 years set two police cars on fire and destroyed two other vehicles, including a TV news van. Businesses were vandalized, and fans threw rocks at baton-wielding lines of police. At
least 12 injuries were reported.o Then-mayor Richard Riordan responded,
oThere was glory tonight and there was sadness. I condemn the
lawlessness of so-called fans who destroyed property and endangered the
safety of fans and families in the vicinity. Even though the unrest did
not spread citywide, it was reprehensible nonetheless.o

After the Lakers won the NBA title in 2009, The Daily Mail reported:
oCrowds gathered outside the Los AngelesA Staples Center after the game
with some fans damaging police cruisers, hurling fireworks, throwing
rocks and bottles at officers and setting bonfires in the street. a
Several police cruisers were damaged and reinforcement officers were
called in from throughout the city to help disperse the crowd a Aerial television footage showed people jumping on a police car, rocking
vehicles attempting to pass through the crowd, setting small trees on
fire and throwing fireworks and flares set up by police.o

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