Vandal uses chainsaw to cut down trees along several downtown LA streets

An alleged vandal who was armed with a chainsaw cut down several trees along downtown Los Angeles streets over the weekend. 

Witnesses tell CBS News Los Angeles that the trees were cut down overnight between Friday night and Saturday morning, and pictures from the scene show the felled trees lying in the road in multiple locations, including:

• Hope Street and Ninth Street,
• Grand Avenue and Fifth Street,
• Broadway and Cesar Chavez Avenue, and
• Olympic Boulevard and Figueroa Street.

Los Angeles Police Department investigators say they have not made any arrests, but say the alleged suspect is described as being dressed in all black, riding around on a BMX-style bike. 

People throughout the area on Sunday noted the bizarre nature of the incident, confused as to why someone would go out of their way to wreak such havoc. 

"I wish that didn't happen, we gotta grow the trees back," said Jarrell Walker. "My daughter was just playing with the bees, so for her to understand the environment of what it brings to nature, I don't know why someone would take away from the trees, especially in downtown which is not a lot of opportunity for trees to grow."

Stephanie Carrie is an amateur arborist who runs the @treesofla Instagram account. She says the worth of the trees is invaluable to the downtown area.

"These are parts of our infrastructure that are doing a massive amount of work that have an invaluable health benefits and other benefits to the residents," she said. "I think ... these vandals don't live far out of Los Angeles, it's like they are shooting themselves in the lungs by doing this."

Carrie said that the suspect could have been specifically targeting the Laurel Fig species of tree. They're no longer planted in the area due to their invasive nature and ability to crack sidewalks. 

"They're incredible trees for our environment ... but they are the ones that have those really invasive roots that end up getting into infrastructure," she said. "These were younger trees. ... They would have had so much time of benefitting the city. It takes seconds with a chainsaw to erase decades of potential environmental benefits."

In a request for comment, City Councilmember Ysabel Jurado's office shared a statement. 

"Our office is aware of the illegal tree cutting in DTLA and in close communication with LAPD as they investigate," the statement said. "Thank you to the community for bringing this to our awareness, this exactly what co-governance in action looks like."

A spokesperson for Mayor Karen Bass also issued a statement, noting that crews were already working to determine how they could replace the impacted trees. 

"That someone would do this is truly beyond comprehension. City public works crews are assessing the damage and we will be making plans to quickly replace these damaged trees. LAPD has opened an investigation into what happened and those responsible must be held accountable," said the statement.