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By Veronica Mackey
When it comes to fan loyalty, one would be hard pressed to find any more dedicated than L.A. Dodger fans. In the days leading up to the team’s 7-6 victory over the New York Yankees in Game 5, hundreds of fans dressed in Dodger gear filed into Inglewood’s Cosm near Hollywood Park to watch the World Series. The atmosphere was electric as all eyes were glued to the big screens, and there was thunderous applause.
Around Southern California, people decorated their homes in Dodger blue for Halloween. Assortments of skeletons and ghouls were outfitted in team jerseys and graves were erected on lawns, inscribed with “RIP Yankees.”
The team’s 8th World Series victory on Wednesday was a welcome break to the stressful election season. Unfortunately, mayhem overshadowed what should have been a joyful reprieve.
Following the Dodgers’ win in New York, some fans took to the streets of Los Angeles bent on creating mischief and committing crimes. The chaos backfired for one fan who injured himself so severely, he had to be rushed to a hospital.
By the early morning of Halloween, pandemonium had set in. A Metro bus was vandalized, then set on fire. Store windows were smashed, allowing looters to break in. Fireworks were set off and taggers spray-painted “F**k the Yankees” on a restaurant façade.
A tactical alert and dispersal orders were issued by LAPD. Rowdy crowds threw objects at police and at least a dozen arrests were made. During the mayhem, police say a half-naked man covered in blue paint was seen on his hands and knees writing “L.A. Champs” on a sidewalk.
While most rioters escaped the scene unscathed, one fan was seriously injured, and learned the hard way not to play with fire. Kevin King, Jr., 25 lost two or his fingers after a firework explosion.
