Teen Fell to His Death While Attempting to Film Himself Climbing 6th Street Bridge Arch

A 17-year-old boy slipped and fell while climbing one of the 6th Street Viaduct's arches over the weekend, according to the Los Angeles Times.

​​The teen fell “when climbing upon one of the arches, to post, apparently, a social media broadcast,” Moore said at Tuesday’s meeting of the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners. “He slipped and fell to his death.”

For many, the incident does not come as a surprise. When the bridge first opened, it quickly became a destination for actual Angelenos to play and party on, using it in ways expressive, beautiful, and sometimes destructive. Ways that city councilmembers and politicians at the time weren’t expecting and really didn’t seem to want.

Some of the crazy stunts pulled at the bridge involved Meklo Rivera, of the aptly named “Blood In Blood Out” Skateboards, attempting some kickflips down its arches, multiple street takeovers, and cars doing donuts were also reported. Multiple crashes were also reported on separate occasions. 

At one point in its initial weeks of opening,  two guys climbed up the arches to watch all the automotive activity as a rail of classic cars and ranflas stretched across the bridge.

Among other less deadly stunts that have gone down at the bridge are the first quinceañera photoshoot, a tattoo artist tattooing someone on the road, a barber giving a hair cut and more. Things got so bad at one point that the bridge was shut down for three days in a row.

According to reports, the teen has not been publically identified, and it looks like police responded to the scene over the weekend at around 2 A.M.