The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has been hard at work shutting down underground parties and events around the Los Angeles area.
On Thursday, the department’s arrest total grew to 137 as authorities shut down an underground strip club.
2/4 The results of the 3 operations included:
3 Locations-
400 blk of Seayton St in LA
500 blk of W Pico Bl in LA
5600 blk of Washington Bl in LAA total of 137 Arrests (cited & released)
1 Discarded Firearm Recovered pic.twitter.com/7cHsQ65FaO— LA County Sheriffs (@LASDHQ) January 15, 2021
4/4 The goal of these enforcement actions is to reduce the spread of #COVID19 and the risk to our vulnerable populations. We thank the Board of Supervisors for their commitment to resource COVID-19 enforcement action (Amendment to Motion S-1, December 8, 2020) pic.twitter.com/AOi05AnuYn
— LA County Sheriffs (@LASDHQ) January 15, 2021
via KTLA:
The operation by the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department’s Super-Spreader Task Force targeted two locations in downtown L.A. and a third venue in Mid-City, where officials say a total of 137 people were arrested.
The revelers were cited for violating county health orders amid the pandemic and released, sheriff’s officials said.
Deputies additionally seized a discarded firearm, the department said.
Photos tweeted by the Sheriff’s Department show the interior of the spaces raided, including a hookah lounge filled with discarded red cups and what appears to be an office space converted to a makeshift strip club complete with a bar.
Officials said the venues were located in the 400 block of Seaton Street and 500 block of West Pico Boulevard in downtown, and in the 5600 block of Washington Boulevard in Mid-City.
The Super-Spreader Task Force has made more than 400 arrests at underground parties so far this month as the county’s hospitals buckle under the weight of a monthslong COVID-19 surge that has become increasingly dire since Thanksgiving. Another 225 arrests were announced in December.
The county’s death toll is reaching new heights, with nearly 2,000 people dying of COVID-19 in the past week alone. More than 13,000 county residents have succumbed to the illness since the pandemic began.
The Sheriff’s Department had previously said it wouldn’t be enforcing coronavirus orders. But the agency changed its stance in early December and has since vowed to help reduce the virus’ spread by targeting any large gatherings being held in violation of health orders.
Everyone involved should’ve known better and they deserve whatever punishment they get.
https://twitter.com/benballer/status/1351647311101788160?s=21
