Occurred During A 'Melee' Outside The Staples Center In Los Angeles

LA Kings hockey fans were understandably happy that their team had won the Stanley Cup Friday night, but as often happens in such situations, the crowd got unruly, and the LAPD lost one of its UAVs in what was described as a "melee" outside the arena after the game.

Business Insider reports that the aircraft was knocked out of the air when someone hit it with a thrown piece of clothing. As you might expect, there is a video that was posted on Facebook and elsewhere showing the aircraft being hit and falling into the crowd. In another clip that does not show the aircraft, the crowd can be heard chanting "we got the drone."

The LAPD was given two UAVs by the Seattle police department last month, but the aircraft in the video does not appear to be a Draganflyer X6 ... the type of aircraft that were transferred to the California department.

The LAPD would not confirm that one of its aircraft had been destroyed. Business Insider says that the aircraft has been identified as a DJI "Phantom" consumer-grade UAV.

(Image from Facebook video)

FMI:  www.lapdonline.org