A 45-year-old homeless man has been arrested as the suspect behind some 11 trees that were cut over the weekend in Downtown Los Angeles, Glassell Park, and the Westlake Dristrict.
Los Angeles Police Department’s Rampart Division Burglary detectives arrested Samuel Patrick Groft as the person suspected of cutting trees with a chain saw between April 17 and April 22.
Some of the trees allegedly cut by Groft include:
April 17, 2025, around 12:00 a.m. 500 block of North Broadway Avenue, Central Area
April 18, 2025, around 3:40 p.m., 1500 block of West 8th Street, Rampart Area
April 19, 2025, around 1:20 am, in the 350 block of South Grand Avenue, Central Area
April 22, 2025, around 2:00 p.m., in the 300 block of Treadwell Street, Northeast Area
Authorities said Groft was arrested on Tuesday April 22 around 4:30 p.m. in the area of Custer Avenue and West Sunset Boulevard. They say they found him evidence linking him to the crimes.
Goft was arrested for Felony Vandalism, given that the cost of the trees cut exceeds $347,000.
The mayor’s office said it is working to replace the trees.
“In a time when we should be coming together and bettering our city, it’s incomprehensible that someone would do this and they must be held accountable. The city is working to replace the trees as soon as possible,” the Mayor’s office said in a statement.
Groft’s bail was set at $100,000.
