This browser does not support the Video element.
Open drug use plagues MacArthur Park
A planned sonar search of MacArthur Park Lake was halted Monday after Los Angeles Park Rangers stopped the unpermitted operation and threatened arrest, according to businessman John Alle.
LOS ANGELES - A planned sonar search of the lake at MacArthur Park was shut down Monday after a businessman says Los Angeles Park Rangers threatened to arrest him.
Businessman John Alle says he intended to use sonar equipment to examine what he described as persistent rumors involving guns, knives and possible human remains in the lake. However, park rangers stopped his sonar search team before the equipment was deployed.
FOX 11 crews walking through the park Monday night observed frequent police sirens, people passed out on sidewalks and open drug use throughout the area.
"So many people come here to get high at night," said a man at the park who declined to give his name. He said drugs commonly seen in the area include methamphetamine, fentanyl and marijuana.
"We’ve been told there could be dead bodies," Alle said when asked what he believed might be in the lake.
Alle is affiliated with the Santa Monica Coalition and has previously helped relocate dozens of homeless people from Los Angeles to family members in other states. He said some families recently contacted him searching for loved ones whom they believe went missing after last being seen near MacArthur Park.
"Kids have gone missing," Alle said. "Police have been very helpful. They said some of them could be in the water."
Alle claimed he had been told human remains may have been weighted down and dumped into the lake, though authorities have not confirmed any such allegations.
On Monday, city park rangers stopped the operation before any sonar equipment entered the water, citing the lack of a required permit. According to Alle, authorities issued a parking citation to the search team.
"It’s a double standard," Alle said. "They don’t want to face bad news."
In a statement to FOX 11, a spokesperson for Councilwoman Eunisses Hernandez said the council office did not direct law enforcement to shut down the operation and does not have authority over police or park enforcement actions.
"Organizers publicized an unpermitted operation on public parkland," the statement said. "City departments, including LAPD and Recreation and Parks, notified the organizers in advance that they did not have the appropriate permits or clearances and that the operation could not proceed. Despite that outreach, the organizers chose to move forward, and this morning LAPD and Park Rangers reiterated that the unpermitted operation could not go forward."
Alle disputed that claim, saying he believed a permit was not required and that the effort had been organized weeks in advance.
MacArthur Park has long been the focus of complaints related to crime, homelessness and drug activity. For now, questions about what lies beneath the lake remain unanswered.
Alle said he plans to work with the city to obtain the proper permits and intends to return.