Who is the suspect of the chainsaw of the Los Angeles trees?

The chainsaw attack against the trees in downtown Los Angeles came with several mysteries.

One: Who did it? Two: What was the reason for such a bizarre crime?

“I am 35 years old in the Los Angeles police service, and I have never seen anyone go to attack trees, especially at the time of the Earth Day”, LAPD CMDR. Lillian Carranza said.

On Wednesday, the authorities announced that Samuel Patrick Groft, 45, had been arrested for suspicion of crime of vandalism and that they had connected to 13 trees slaughtered in five places across the city. He was arrested on Earth Day, which was on Tuesday.

According to sources of application of the law, he has extensive criminal history, and published once on social networks that he thought that his mind was controlled by “electronic weapons”.

Groft could not be joined to comment.

The slaughter of at least 13 trees on the public sidewalks over more than a week aroused indignation through the city, some suggesting that free vandalism has marked a new hollow for a city that has fought with multiple social and economic crises.

On social media sites, some indignant residents have hypothesized that acts were committed by unscrupulous developers who “wanted the trees left” or were secretly orchestrated by the city of Los Angeles.

Why attack the trees?

When surveillance images of a bald suspect and bourse dressed in black and pedaling a BMX style bike, totaling a dark backpack and a large plug bag, were released by the Los Angeles police service, many wondered what could move a person to attack the trees of the city.

Groft, that the sources of application of the law say that wears a tattoo of Roman numerals 666 at the back of his head, was placed in police custody during a homeless camp on Sunset Boulevard and Custer Avenue in Chinatown.

Groft was in possession of a chainsaw when he was arrested, police announced on Wednesday. He has already been found guilty and has served time for assault with a deadly weapon, leading to influence, criminal vandalism and flight offense, according to the judicial archives. LAPD officials refused to comment on its criminal history, but detectives said they were aware of previous affairs.

‘It’s not normal’

A person who spends time in the neighborhood where Groft was placed in police custody told Times where he had seen the suspect using a chainsaw on a metal pole.

“There were sparks and steering wheel everywhere,” said the person, who asked to remain anonymous for security reasons. “It’s not normal.”

In 2023, Groft told a student journalist from Cal State that he had been living in the street for several years, since he had completed a Mental Health Tribunal Tribunal Program, which has provided residential mental health treatment to those faced with a prison sentence as an alternative to incarceration.

LAPD officials refused to comment if Groft was currently faced with mental illness or drug addiction. They also refused to share any possible reason for the cuttings of trees.

A LinkedIn account which bears the name and photography of Groft includes a signed letter of 2017 which declares: “I have constantly followed the slander and even controlled by the mind through electronic weapons which try to attract me in any massive configuration.”

A particular crime

Groft is accused of having broken the first tree trunk on April 13 and the last Tuesday, the day of his arrest, the police said. The detectives said that they still confirmed the exact dates and times of all incidents, but said that some occurred in broad daylight and others in the middle of the night.

A tree was cut in the 500 block of North Broadway; Three were sawn around 1550 W. 8th st.; five were killed nearly 350 S. Grand Ave.; Three were cut near 717 W. Temple St.; And one was withdrawn nearly 300, rue Tardwell, according to LAPD officials. Additional locations of fallen trees are still being studied.

Many people who live near the affected trees have mentioned not only their security problems after the incident, but also the environmental loss of significant shadow, rainwater management and housing.

The mayor of Karen Bass said in a statement that the situation is “really beyond understanding” and that the public works teams work to replace the trees as soon as possible.

Trees offer many advantages to urban areas. They clean the air, reconstitute the groundwater, capture the runoff of rainwater, slow down the deterioration of the streets and have proven to reduce crime.

Staff editors Clara Harter and David Zahniscur contributed to this report.