Abandoned SoCal mall filled with graffiti

Abandoned Westminster mall hit by vandals

The Westminster mall, now abandoned, has been hit by vandals who tagged nearly the entire mall. 

LOS ANGELES - An abandoned mall in Orange County has been taken over by graffiti and vandalism. Westminster police arrested over 30 people this weekend alone. 

What we know:

Police said what began with a couple of incidents over the holidays, exploded into a social media magnet in the last few weeks.  

 Viral video from inside the Westminster mall shows graffiti and vandalism all over the now shuttered mall. 

"We arrested thirty-two people for various crimes, from vandalism to theft, to different warrants, drug arrests, trespassing, all of the above," said Andy Stowers, a commander with the Westminster Police Department. 

More importantly, police want people to know that the Urban X party is over at Westminster Mall. The Urban X movement involves people exploring abandoned, closed, or restricted places, like downtown LA's graffiti towers or the 6th Street Bridge. 

What's next:

Mall security has been beefed up, but video shows fresh holes in the wooden barricades that went up shortly after most of the mall closed before Christmas. 

"A lot of people grew up in this area, even a lot of our officers, and its sad to see this mall where we grew up just to see it get to this and we don't like seeing it, and we are going to do everything we can to make it better," Stowers added. 

Police are working closely with several management companies that handle security for the mall and are increasing enforcement, adding fences and cameras.

The main management company for the property did not respond to our inquiries for comment.