A tribute to the late Paul Walker turned into complete chaos when several attendees destroyed a security guard’s truck and then got into a fight with the man. The gathering was eventually shut down when police arrived.
Video shows hundreds of car enthusiasts packed into the parking lot of the West Covina Plaza shopping mall in California on Wednesday night for a Paul Walker tribute, which was advertised on Instagram by the Distorted Illusion Car Club.
In the footage, cars are seen spinning out and doing donuts in the parking lot, leaving smoke and streaks of fire behind.
Hundreds of people turned up for a Paul Walker tribute on Wednesday night to honor what would have been his 45th birthday
Several people jumped onto the hood of a security truck and then smashed the windshield
Another video posted on social media shows several men jumping on the hood of a mall security guard’s truck, and another breaking the vehicle’s windshield.
Several of the people at the meetup get into a shoving match with the guard before a fight breaks out.
The car meet was in honor of what would have been Walker’s 45th birthday, but several attendees felt the chaos that ensued distracted from that.
Walker, known for his role in the Fast & Furious movies, died in 2013 in a car crash
‘I love going to car meets but people like this ruin the scene,’ attendee Chris Alvar captioned a video showing several guys jumping on the security vehicle.
‘This old a** dude really punched him thru the window. Hes the one that started the whole mess by throwing water bottles.’
According to another Instagram user, things at the meet got so bad that cops blocked them in. He said more than 25 cars were towed and multiple people were cited.
Video taken after the meet dispersed shows several tow trucks in the West Covina Plaza parking lot towing away the cars that had been boxed in by officers.
Lt. Travis Tibbetts with the West Covina Police Department said that a second mall security guard was injured during the meet on Wednesday night and they are investigating a felony vandalism and an assault and battery to the two guards.
Police in West Covina said they are investigating the violent meet up and are seeking the public’s help in identifying the suspects
A fight between several people at the meet up and a security guard broke out
Police said two officers were assaulted during the altercation on Wednesday night
‘It’s alarming when we see this in the video. The behavior of the people that are gathering at these car meets wanting to beat other people up or just damage property – it’s just not acceptable,’ Tibbetts told ABC News.
‘I think the video is pretty clear and I think there’s someone out there that can help us identify who those suspects are that damaged that car and then hurt those security officers.’
According to ABC, the rowdy group had initially gathered in Montebello for the Walker meet but were chased out of the area.
Walker died at the age of 40 in 2013 when the Porsche Carrera GT he was riding in crashed into a tree and burst into flames. He was known for his role as Brian O’Conner in the Fast & the Furious movies.
Police are asking anyone with information regarding the incident on Wednesday or the identity of the suspects in the videos to contact them at (626) 939-8688.