By Patrick Smith -
NBC News
The police in Los Angeles, California, arrested two suspects of belonging to the group that has been painting graffiti on 30 floors of a skyscraper whose construction has not been completed, located in front of where the Grammy Awards will be held this Sunday.
Early Friday, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) reported that Víctor Daniel Ramírez, 35, and Roberto Pérez, 25, both of Los Angeles, were arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of burglary and were detained. freedom.
No charges were filed, but police said the case remains under investigation and that detectives will "work to identify those responsible and make arrests."
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In the early hours of Tuesday, authorities received a notice of vandalism on 1200 Figueroa Sur Street, in front of the Crypto.com Arena (where the Grammy Awards ceremony will be held this Sunday).
Images from a helicopter, filmed by NBC Los Angeles, showed graffiti on several floors on Wednesday.
Graffiti on the unfinished skyscraper in Los Angeles, California. NBC Los Angeles / NBC Los Angeles
"During the investigation, an LAPD Air Support Division tactical flight officer observed more than a dozen suspects in the building, breaking and entering and possibly spray painting the building," the officer said in a statement.
"Additional patrols arrived, however, the suspects, except for two, fled the scene before other support units arrived," he added.
Authorities said officers were called to another possible vandalism incident early Thursday near West 11th Street and South Flower Street after receiving reports of suspects spray painting on the 30th floor of another building under construction.
When officers arrived, security personnel at the scene explained that the suspects fled in a car, which did not stop despite police orders to do so.
The driver was stopped and cited for failing to respond to an officer;
the passenger was questioned and released.
Mayor Karen Bass's office said it was aware of the incident and was working with the city attorney to resolve it.
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"The mayor's office is aware and working to resolve this matter, but the city cannot immediately clean up the graffiti due to legal limitations regarding private property," Bass' office responded in a statement to NBC Los Angeles. .
"We are working closely with the city attorney and various departments to provide a solution to this," she added.