Hellbomb Skate Riot

The 2025 annual Halloween Hellbomb skateboarding competition took place on Saturday, October 25, 2025, in downtown Los Angeles. The event was sponsored by Thrasher, Monster Energy, and Vans, featuring pro skaters competing in a downhill trick competition.

The event quickly became overcrowded with attendees hopping the barricade,s swarming the track. Organizers struggled to control the crowd, pausing the event multiple times.

Many attendees commented on the lack of security and poor visibility, leading to a section of the crowd breaking away to start their own hill bomb on the same street, parallel to the official event. The unofficial group expanded their event into traffic, and multiple skaters crashed into cars traveling through the intersection of First Street and Hills Street.

A LAPD vehicle arrived on scene and was met with the crowd throwing objects, prompting additional units to arrive in riot gear and declare an unlawful assembly.

The crowd surrounded the Waymo and began striking the vehicle with skateboards. Several people stood on the Waymo and led the crowd in a fuck AI chant.

Police began firing less-lethal rounds at people in the crowd as the main event continued. Skaters continued down the unofficial lane, with some continuing through the intersection, crashing into the skirmish line.

A portapoty was flipped over while a man was inside, drenching him in sewage. An organizer could be seen pleading with and insulting the crowd, to ended in a failed attempt to quell the chaos. While pushing barricades, the Jesus-dressed organizer was shot with kinetic projectiles. Almost an hour after the police arrived, the DJ announced the event was canceled.

At least one person was arrested during the riot. After the event, Bobby Bils, an event organizer, said in a post on Instagram, “Hellbomb does not condone any vandalism or activities that do not involve skateboarding in the Halloween spirit. We are deeply upset that these incidents outside of the permitted event space caused our event to conclude early.”