In tree-starved downtown Los Angeles, taking a chainsaw to the shade now carries real jail time. Samuel Patrick Groft, 45, was sentenced Wednesday to two years in county jail after authorities say he cut down 13 mature street trees in and around downtown. He pleaded no contest to nine felony counts and two misdemeanor counts in Los Angeles County Superior Court before Judge Yvette Verastegui, who offered the two-year term. A restitution hearing is set for April 15, with officials estimating the total damage at nearly $350,000.
Detectives pieced together video and receipts
Investigators say they built the case with a mix of surveillance footage and retail records that pointed to a single suspect. According to Los Angeles Times reporting, video showed a man on a bicycle and a chainsaw box that matched a Harbor Freight purchase. Officers later found a spray-painted electric saw at the encampment where Groft was located. Detectives tied that gear, along with the suspect’s clothing and bike, to a series of trees cut between April 13 and April 19, 2025, across multiple downtown locations.
Court deal ends months-long case
As reported by MyNewsLA, Groft entered his no contest plea after Judge Verastegui offered the two-year county jail term, a deal accepted over the objection of prosecutors. The case had already been trimmed at a pretrial hearing last May, when two previously filed felony vandalism counts were reduced to misdemeanors. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has said a restitution hearing will determine how much Groft must pay back on top of serving his sentence.
City officials mobilize to replace lost canopy
The chainsaw spree did not just leave bare stumps. It also set off a scramble at City Hall. Councilwoman Ysabel Jurado called the cutting a “random act of violence” against a public resource and told reporters that community groups and residents had rallied around a plan to replace each lost tree two-for-one, MyNewsLA noted. City crews moved in to clear debris, while StreetsLA and tree-focused nonprofits began coordinating surveys and replacement plans that cover both city-owned and privately owned losses.
Legal context and next steps
Authorities have estimated some of the city-owned tree losses at just under $175,000, and total damage at roughly $350,000, figures cited by the Los Angeles Times. Under California law, vandalism becomes a felony when the damage tops $400, which put these incidents well into felony territory. Groft now faces restitution proceedings on top of the two-year county jail term imposed by the court.
Police account of the investigation
LAPD Rampart Division detectives say they logged tree-cutting incidents across several blocks before zeroing in on a suspect. According to the department’s account, officers ultimately found and arrested Groft at an encampment near Custer Avenue and West Sunset Boulevard after matching his clothing, bicycle and the chainsaw to surveillance images. The LAPD announcement lists specific dates and blocks tied to the downtown investigation and urges anyone with additional information to contact Rampart detectives, per the LAPD press release.
