LOS ANGELES (AP) -Police are gearing up to prevent violence in Los Angeles after Thursday night’s Game 7 of the NBA finals between the Lakers and Boston Celtics.
But at least one store owner near LA’s Staples Center says he’ll close before the game ends – just in case.
Hundreds of police officers will be deployed around the downtown arena to prevent a repeat of rioting that occurred in 2000 after the Lakers won their first championship in a dozen years, or the disturbance that erupted last year.
Fan Victor Lopez says he helped overturn a police car in 2000, but now he’s a 27-year-old father. He says these days he doesn’t want to risk jail time.
City officials are warning fans to stay away from downtown unless they have tickets to the game.
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