2 Men Arrested on Suspicion of Tagging Los Angeles High-Rise

The abandoned Oceanwide Plaza in Los Angeles on Jan. 25, 2019. Frederic J Brown/AFP via Getty Images

Two men have been arrested on suspicion of spray-painting graffiti on a vacant high-rise in downtown Los Angeles, police said Feb. 2.

Victor Daniel Ramirez, 35, and Roberto Perez, 25, were held for trespassing Tuesday by police responding to reports of vandalism at Oceanwide Plaza, an unfinished condo and hotel complex on Figueroa Street near Crypto.com Arena.

Both were issued citations and released, KNBC reported.

Taggers have swarmed the abandoned construction site this week to leave their multi-color markings on 27 levels of one building, creating an eyesore ahead of Sunday’s Grammy Awards show at Crypto.com.

On Thursday, another act of vandalism was reported at a second building in the unfinished complex. Taggers were allegedly at work on the 30th floor, KNBC reported.

When police arrived, the suspects were fleeing in a car and didn’t stop as officers demanded. The driver was cited for failing to yield to an officer.

The Oceanwide Plaza was projected to be a crown jewel of downtown development, with two 40-story buildings offering luxury condos and a taller building with more condos and a hotel.

Construction began in 2015 but stopped in 2019 when the Beijing-based developer Oceanwide Holdings ran into financial difficulties.

City News Service contributed to this report.