By The Associated Press via NBC News
A 17-year-old boy fell off a cliff while climbing a bridge in Los Angeles, California, in an apparent attempt to record a stunt for social media, police said.
The minor was found by police around 2:00 am Saturday on the 6th Street Viaduct. He was pronounced dead at a hospital.
The teenager, whose identity has not been revealed, slipped and fell “when he was climbing one of the arches to apparently post a message on social networks,” said Michel Moore, Los Angeles Police Chief, on Tuesday during a conference.
The $588 million bridge, which replaced an 84-year-old Art Deco-style bridge, was inaugurated last July. The concrete-encased structure spans 5,000 feet above the Los Angeles River and connects downtown to the historic Eastside.
Vehicles drive over the 6th Street Overpass in Los Angeles on July 27, 2022. Jae C. Hong / AP File
Featuring thousands of LED lights and views of the Los Angeles cityscape, the bridge is the largest and most expensive ever built in the city. It was designed to become a local landmark.
Police he had to close it on several occasions after it quickly became a hotspot for street racing, graffiti and illegal raids that drew hundreds of spectators to watch drivers perform dangerous stunts on their vehicles.
Recommended
[Muere un policía latino en Colorado tras caer de un puente de 12 metros de altura mientras perseguía a sospechosos de robo]
The stunts that are filmed for social networks have also proliferated there: on one occasion, a man sat in a barber’s chair to get a haircut in the middle of the lanes. In January, another person was fatally shot on the bridge during an unauthorized music video shoot.
“Tragically we see that that location, while it has generated great pride in Los Angeles, has also sadly served as the setting for tragedies such as this one,” Moore said. “Our additional patrols will continue in that location to counter such reckless actions.”
Article and image Source
