Apparent helicopter crew members talking about lighting protesters on fire in L.A. are NOT with law enforcement, according to LAPD ... but it's still a mystery who made the vile comments.
A video began circulating Thursday afternoon with purported audio of a conversation between 2 helicopter pilots, in which one says he wants to dump fuel on protesters on Glendale Blvd. and the other responds ... "I'll bring the match."
Based on initial social media posts ... people believed these were LAPD crew members referring to people protesting the removal of a large homeless encampment for park repairs.
The LAPD responded to the allegations late Thursday night though, saying it investigated the disturbing commentary and "definitively determined" it did not involve LAPD employees.
So, the question remains ... who did joke about torching protesters?
Mystery aside, the protests still went down Thursday night in Echo Park and about a dozen people were arrested when LAPD declared unlawful assembly. Cops claim the large crowd used high-intensity lights to try to blind officers.