On a busy stretch of Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles, three orange-and-white traffic cones sit atop the dirt in grates on the sidewalk where three trees once stood.

It’s not a construction site. It’s a kind of crime scene.

The three trees were some of the victims of one man’s bizarre eight-day tree-killing spree that destroyed more than a dozen mature trees in and around downtown Los Angeles, blocks from City Hall and Frank Gehry’s Walt Disney Concert Hall.

The man, the authorities said, roamed the streets in the middle of the night and used a chain saw to cut elm, ficus and other trees. Some were sawed right across the middle. Others were left with bare branches. Officials said the damage totaled $347,000. He was apprehended on Earth Day.

Downtown Los Angeles is one of those urban American places that has, in a sense, seen it all.

There have been violent attacks that made headlines, such as a shooting at a Target in December that injured two security guards. There is homelessness, with tents and encampments spread across sidewalks and doorways. It had emptied out during the pandemic but has experienced a revival as tourists and residents flock to popular spots like Grand Central Market. Downtown remains a hub of protests and gatherings, including a parade last year celebrating the Dodgers’ World Series victory.

But the sight of butchered trees, some of the few spots of greenery in a landscape of concrete and skyscrapers, has rattled and saddened Angelenos far beyond downtown.

The case sparked an intense manhunt, prompting the police to ask the public for tips and scour surveillance footage. The mayor, the district attorney and city leaders have weighed in. There have been news conferences calling for increased investments in public safety. After the wildfires that destroyed thousands of homes and upended thousands of lives three months ago, some residents have wondered: What’s next?