Joy, defiance shine at L.A. Pride Parade in wake of Orlando shooting

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Joy and defiance became central themes for the hundreds of thousands of people who descended on Santa Monica Boulevard for the annual Los Angeles Pride Parade on Sunday morning.

The Los Angeles area had already been celebrating the achievements of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities for two days, when the news broke Sunday morning that 50 people had been killed and 53 wounded in an attack at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida.

Then the news got worse for LGBT revelers getting ready for the parade: A man had been arrested on his way to the West Hollywood event with guns and explosives in his car.

But the LGBT attendees — straight ones, too — were determined to pay tribute to the victims from Orlando and prove they couldn’t be intimidated. They lined the road in flamboyant outfits, waved rainbow flags and cheered.

Some attendees wrote messages supporting Orlando on their clothes or their bodies.

Los Angeles resident Marc Collins, 53, hooted and hollered as lavish parade floats passed by. Throughout he held a large tablecloth with a printed map of Florida, and on it, painted in red: “We are Orlando.”

A native of Clearwater, Florida, Collins said he almost didn’t get out of bed that morning, but then he started seeing the news headlines and the predictions that the parade would be a somber one.

That’s when he resolved to go.

“I came to celebrate what we’re supposed to be celebrating,” Collins said. “We’re still going to be prideful.”

The early morning arrest in Santa Monica of James Wesley Howell, 20, came just a few hours after the tragedy in Orlando, though authorities said they had found no evidence of a connection between the suspects. The Indiana man was armed with three assault rifles and chemicals used to make explosives.

Santa Monica Police Chief Jacqueline Seabrooks initially tweeted that Howell told officers he wanted to “do harm” at the gay pride event, but she later corrected her statement to say only that Howell said he was going to the parade, about seven miles from the scene of the arrest.

Authorities would answer no further questions on Howell or his motives. The FBI has taken over the lead of the investigation.

Residents called police to report suspicious behavior from Howell, who was parked facing the wrong way in a white sedan, police said.

When officers arrived they saw an assault rifle sitting in Howell’s passenger seat, Santa Monica police Lt. Saul Rodriguez said.

That prompted them to search the whole car. They found two more assault rifles, high-capacity magazines and ammunition and a five-gallon bucket with chemicals that could be used to make an explosive device, police said.

At the scene, police spent the day searching the white four-door Acura sedan still parked facing the wrong direction on a busy thoroughfare in a mostly residential area of the seaside city west of Los Angeles. There was a red plastic gas can near the car and items laid out on a white sheet next to it.

Heriberto Gomez, a lifelong resident who says he watches over the neighborhood, stepped outside at 3 a.m. Sunday and saw the car in the street. Gomez said the man then ran across the street and hid in bushes and overhanging trees.

“I was looking at him for a minute, for a long minute,” Gomez said. “He didn’t want to come my way because he seen me standing right here.”

The organizers of the Pride event said in a statement before the parade that “we are heartbroken that so many of our brothers, sisters and allies were lost in this tragic attack.” Organizers said the tragedy made them all the more determined to continue with plans with heightened security from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

“Our brave founders made this happen to show the world who we are,” the statement said. “We will be loud. We will be proud, and we will celebrate in honor of all those lost.”

The parade started about 10 a.m., led by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who held a sign for Orlando.

Mateen, who authorities said had pledged allegiance to Islamic State in a 911 call shortly before the attack, died in a gun battle with SWAT team members.

LGBT Pride parades are held across the world every year starting in June to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall Riots that were sparked by a police raid at a New York City gay bar. Frustrated with harassment and discrimination, LGBT people organized marches to demand equal rights.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.Contact Wesley Juhl at wjuhl@reviewjournal.com and 702-383-0391. Find @WesJuhl on Twitter.