Small Earthquake, Aftershock Jolt Downtown L.A.

A small earthquake and an aftershock rattled Los Angeles early Wednesday evening, shaking downtown office buildings.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

The first earthquake had a magnitude of 3.2 and struck at 6:11 p.m., said Joe Franck, a seismologist with Caltech in Pasadena.

The quake was centered three miles southeast of downtown. Frank said. A magnitude 3.0 aftershock struck 42 seconds later, about two miles southeast of downtown.

The initial quake was new and not an aftershock of another quake, he said.

There were no reports of damage or injuries, said Los Angeles Police Department spokesman Eduardo Funes.

Lucy Jones, a seismologist for the U.S. Geological Survey, said she “would be incredibly surprised if there was any damage from this earthquake. Three on the Richter scale is the level where it’s felt at all. Any less than a three and you probably wouldn’t even feel it.”