Graffitied skyscraper: BASE jumper plunges off DTLA building

Base jumpers leap from DTLA high-rise

The Oceanwide Plaza in downtown Los Angeles, which has gone viral over the graffiti that's been tagged on the towers, is facing new controversy as videos show base jumpers are now filming themselves leaping off the towers.

LOS ANGELES - First it was taggers, now BASE jumpers are plunging off the infamous graffiti-covered skyscraper in downtown LA.

Video posted to social media shows a person paragliding off one of the three towers. Two of the towers stand at 40-stories high while the other is 45-stories.

Since Monday, 23 people have been arrested on the site of Oceanwide Plaza on S. Figueroa Street, which is across the street from Crypto.com Arena.

Right now, the city is working to prevent dangerous, potentially fatal stunts that also risk the lives of Angelenos on the sidewalks as well. Angelenos could fall off or be pushed off and we are working to prevent both while holding the owner of the building accountable for these expenses," the mayor's office said.

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"That's insane! I don't understand how they even got that idea. That's scary," said Cyndi Corletto who owns Alladin's Coffee Shop nearby.

"I saw four people being arrested," she added.

LAPD Chief Michel Moore says incidents at the abandoned building is costing the police department a lot of money and resources.

"We have called some officers on an overtime basis," Moore said.

More arrests at graffitied DTLA high-rise

More than a dozen more people were arrested over the weekend for allegedly trespassing at the Oceanfront Plaza, which has gone viral for the graffiti adorning nearly every floor of the three towers.

And while they try to keep taggers out, others like Richard Longsworth are coming down with their cameras and drones to capture what they call art.

"I know it's vandalism, but it's beautiful," Longsworth said.

LA City Councilman Kevin de León said it's expensive to heighten the fence and remove the graffiti. At Tuesday's city council meeting de León introduced a motion to allocate $3.8 million.

If approved, the city would pull $1.1 million to fund fencing and secure the ground floors of the structure and another $2.7 million would be allocated, as a loan, to cover costs associated with security services, fire safety upgrades, graffiti abatement and other measures.

"Come [February] 17 if they're not there to clean up the mess they've left for all of us here in LA, then we're going to step in," de León added.. giving the property owner until Saturday to step in.

"Listen, somebody's going to lose their life," the councilman added.