Teenager falls to death on Los Angeles bridge during social media stunt, police say

A 17-year-old boy died in an apparent social media stunt while climbing a bridge in Los Angeles this weekend, police said.

Around 2 a.m. Saturday, police arrived at the Sixth Avenue Viaduct and found the boy, who was pronounced dead at a hospital. His name was not immediately made public.

Police Chief Michelle Moore said Tuesday at a Los Angeles Police Commission meeting that the boy slipped and fell “while apparently climbing one of the arches to post a social media broadcast.”

The bridge opened in July last year. Replacing a $588 million, 84-year-old Art Deco bridge, it soars 3,500 feet above the concrete-clad Los Angeles River, connecting downtown with the historic East Side.

The bridge has thousands of LED lights, offers views of the LA skyline, and is the largest and most expensive bridge ever built in the city. It was designed to be a city landmark.

However, the bridge has been a frequent target. burnout syndromeentertainment, hijacking, etc. illegal actsuch as a man getting a haircut in the middle of the road, CBS Los Angeles report. As a result, authorities closed the bridge for several days.

CBS Los Angeles reported that police have launched a traffic enforcement action in the wake of these incidents. The Los Angeles City Council’s Public Works Committee recommended that the city council approve more than $700,000 to continue removing graffiti from the bridge.

In January, a man was shot dead on a bridge during an unauthorized filming of a music video.

“Tragically, that place has created a great deal of pride in Los Angeles, but it’s also the backdrop for tragedies like this,” Moore told the police commission. “Our additional patrols will continue at the location to counter such reckless actions.”