Hundreds of thousands of basketball fans congested streets in downtown Los Angeles Wednesday as the city prepared to celebrate the Los Angeles Lakerss 15th NBA championship with a parade and victory rally.
Some fans showed up outside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum late Tuesday night in hopes of getting prime seating for the planned noontime victory celebration at the stadium. They were joined by thousands more people in the morning.
By 10:30 a.m., the Los Angeles Police Department began to urge people not to go to the Coliseum area, even via the light rail system, because the stadium is closed to further entry, and nearby streets are very congested.
A ceremony will be held in the 93,600-seat Coliseum after a 4-kilometer parade brought Lakers team members and thousands of fans from Staples Center, the team's current home arena.
Earlier in the morning, some fans jumped a barricade and began running toward the still-closed Coliseum. It was reported organizers were forced to open the gate earlier than planned, and the seats quickly filled.
The Coliseum was declared full by 10:15 a.m., and thousands of disappointed fans were turned away.
Meanwhile, thousands of people gathered near Staples Center and along the streets from the arena to the Coliseum in hopes of catching a glimpse of the Lakers players and coaches aboard double-decker buses in the victory parade.
Large video screens were set up inside the Coliseum so fans already inside the stadium could watch the parade as it made its way toward the venue.
Police said the gathering was largely peaceful, although local media reported that a handful of people being handcuffed for trying to break through a Coliseum gate.
The Los Angeles claimed the NBA championship Sunday in Orlando, Florida with a win over the Orlando Magic. The victory prompted some spontaneous celebrations in Los Angeles, as some fans set fires, attacked vehicles and assaulted police officers.
(Xinhua News Agency June 18, 2009)
