Teen climbing 6th Street bridge for social media stunt fell to his death, LAPD chief says
A 17-year-old boy died over the weekend after falling from the 6th Street Viaduct during a climb up the iconic bridge that he was trying to share on social media, according to Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore.
The teen fell “when climbing upon one of the arches, in order to post, apparently, a social media broadcast,” Moore said at Tuesday’s meeting of the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners. “He slipped and fell to his death.”
The teen has not yet been publicly identified. It wasn’t immediately clear which social media platform he was using or how he was trying to “broadcast” the climb.
City officials hope the new 6th St. Viaduct will be a venerable icon like the Golden Gate. But Los Angeles has a way of spinning its own stories.
Police responded to the scene just after 2 a.m. Saturday, according to Officer Warren Moore, a spokesperson for the LAPD. He said the teen was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
“Tragically we see that location, while it has spawned a great deal of pride in Los Angeles, it has also unfortunately served as a backdrop now for tragedies such as this,” Moore said. “Our added patrols will continue at that location … to counter such reckless actions.”
The bridge opened in July to replace the iconic viaduct that had spanned the Los Angeles River, connecting downtown to Boyle Heights for nearly a century. In its first year, the new bridge has drawn crowds and high interest — including from some seeking dangerous thrills. Officials have repeatedly responded to drag racing and street takeovers at the location, and there have been multiple crashes.
A man was also fatally shot on the bridge in January while filming a music video.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
