First, this is just a limb that was sawed from a tree at the intersection of North Figueroa Street on April 13.

Then the next day, three mature trees were cut down on West Temple Street in downtown about two miles away.

A few days later, North Broadway fell again. Then there are three more on West 8th Street.

The weird crime craze has attracted little attention, as no trees were reported to police at first - until the morning of April 19, three huge trees were found on South Grand Avenue.

Those disturbing images of lost fallen loop through social media and quickly entered local news. Two more were found nearby that day, all of which were cleanly sliced ​​through the trunks.

Anger and shock at the vandalism helps to come up with a range of tips, including surveillance video evidence, where police will eventually use the chaos that creates city lawn mowers and track down the suspects before more trees are lost.

Police reportedly arrested Samuel Patrick Groft, 44, two days after reported trees on South Gran Avenue, and found he owned a spray-coated electric chainsaw. Detectives said they have linked him to 13 tree slices in the city and surrounding areas for seven days. City officials estimate that only six trees will lose more than $170,000.

Groft has since pleaded not guilty to several felony vandalism. His attorney, Julieta Flores, declined to comment on the case after a hearing Thursday. However, Flores successfully argued that two of the counts should be reduced to misdemeanors, without evidence of tree damage of more than $400.

But Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge George Lomeli found that, overall, prosecutors have enough evidence to propose a case against Groft.

"In the view of this court, the allegations in the basic complaint have been committed," Lomeli said in a preliminary hearing on Thursday. "There are possible reasons and strong suspicion that the conduct involves the defendant, Mr. Samuel Groft."

Groft, wearing a yellow Los Angeles County Jail T-shirt and holding handcuffs at the hearing, appeared to have no response to the decision. However, during hearings, he often sends notes or speeches to his attorneys (sometimes very animated). He now faces nine felony charges and two misdemeanors, charged with cutting down 12 trees and cutting off another limb. He went on to be sentenced to jail in lieu of $350,000 in bail.

There was no public sharing of the motive for the crime, but at a hearing on Thursday. Jose Hidalgo testified that Groft knew several cut trees after his arrest.

While Groft did not explicitly plead guilty during a police interview, Hidalgo said he identified himself when surveillance footage of a suspect captured near certain cut trees.

However, Hidalgo testified that after being arrested in the homeless camp in Chinatown where he lives, Groft told officers that he was surprised that the arrest occurred on Earth Day.

"What he said, 'I love trees, I love bark, I am a tree plant,'" Hidalgo said.

Officials said the tracking of Goft involved officials from three different LAPD departments and many useful tips.

After tree cuttings in the city were released, security guards and business owners in the city began reporting similar cuttings that have occurred in recent days. Officials testified that some of them provided surveillance footage of a man riding a bicycle, wearing a backpack, duffel bag and a camouflage hat that appeared to be a chainsaw.

One prompt was anonymous surveillance footage showing a similar person cutting limbs from the corner of a tree on North Figueroa Street and 26 West Avenue in broad daylight. det. Ryan Watterson used other surveillance videos to confirm that the man was from a nearby port freight shop-store receipt confirmed his name and he purchased a chainsaw that day.

Using this information, detectives were able to find Groft in a homeless camp, who had previously spoken with a student journalist at California State University about living on the street. Hidalgo said Groft was cooperative during his arrest. They found the same brand chainsaw he bought from Harbor Freight, as well as a bike, duffel bag and hat, many images matching the surveillance footage of cutting down trees.

Los Angeles County Agent. Atti. Cynthia Valenzuela said several trees were cut down during the day and several trees at night. The first limb was cut from a tree on North Figueroa Street on April 13. On April 14, three trees were cut down on W. Temple St. 717; on April 17, one cut off one from 555 North Broadway; on April 18, three trees were cut down on 1550 W. 8th St. 1550 W.; on April 19, five people were cut down on South Avenue, one of which was cut down on South Hope Street.

Valenzuela said three of them located at 350 S. Grand Ave. are Chinese elm trees, while others nearby are seaweed trees. She said that the Third Street on West 8th Street is a kind of Nagarjuna, and the Three Trees on West Temple Street are juniper. She said some are on city property and some are on private property.

Dan Halden, a spokesman for the city’s street service department, had previously said the city was removing the remaining stumps and assessing the cost of replacement. On Thursday, he did not immediately provide the latest information on possible alternative trees plans for urban properties.