Mayor Eric Garcetti said eight businesses had been referred for criminal prosecution for failing to comply with the city’s strict Safer at Home order that prohibits nonessential work in an effort to slow the spread of coronavirus.

“We had a smoke shop that just refused to close,” Garcetti said. “And even when police officers were there, they said, ‘Forget you’ — probably not in as nice words — ‘we’re not going to do it.’”

The city is moving to shut off the smoke shop’s power, he said.

“We want to let people know that we are serious about this, that businesses that flagrantly violate this will be shut down short term and prosecuted in the medium term as well,” Garcetti said.

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