L.A. police urge New Year’s Eve revelers not to fire guns
Los Angeles authorities have one message for residents tempted to ring in 2014 with celebratory gunfire: Don’t.
Sheriff’s and police officials teamed up on Tuesday in an effort to reduce celebratory gunfire from New Year’s Eve revelers. Firing a gun into the air is a felony and punishable by prison time, they said, as well as a safety concern.
“Shooting guns to celebrate the New Year is reckless, dangerous and can be deadly,” Sheriff Lee Baca said.
Baca said deputies responded to 93 such incidents within county jurisdiction last year; two people were injured and two properties were damaged. Statistics from the Los Angeles Police Department were not immediately available.
LAPD Cmdr. Justin Eisenberg said 15 years have passed since the city last saw a death related to celebratory gunfire -- in 1999, a 9-year-old boy was playing in his front yard on the Fourth of July when he was fatally shot in the head.
“We don’t want that to ever happen again,” Eisenberg said.
Officials urged the public to contact authorities Tuesday night if they hear any gunshots. The LAPD will boost patrols, Eisenberg said -- not only to watch for gunfire, but also drunk drivers and problem partyers.
“It’s always a busy night for us,” he said.
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Twitter: @katemather | Google+
kate.mather@latimes.com
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