LOS ANGELES (AP) -Crowds of rowdy revelers poured into the streets around Staples Center after Game 7 of the NBA finals on Thursday night, rocking cars, setting bonfires and throwing rocks and bottles at officers.
Nine people had been arrested for public intoxication, vandalism and inciting a riot, but that number was expected to rise, Los Angeles police spokeswoman Mary Grady said.
“As the crowds left the area, we had some groups that decided to celebrate irresponsibly,” she said. “We have certain groups who are starting to cause problems. We are immediately deploying officers where they are needed most.”
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Television footage also showed a man being beaten and a car set on fire. And there were scattered reports of windows being broken at several businesses.
Some men ran shirtless in the street, while other people revved car engines and honked their horns in celebration. Broken glass and burnt debris lined the roads.
The Los Angeles Fire Department said several people were treated for injuries outside the arena. The number and extent of the injuries was not know.
Shortly after the game ended, police declared an unlawful assembly, urging people to immediately disperse. Pockets of violence were reported throughout the city.
Revelers honked horns and yelled while emergency vehicles and police cars with sirens going moved through the area. Some people set off fireworks.
Hundreds of Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies were deployed to East Los Angeles, where crowds were going, but no major problems were reported, sheriff’s Capt. Mike Parker said.
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Associated Press writers Raquel Dillon, Daisy Nguyen, Denise Petski and Nardine Saad contributed to this report.
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