Los Angeles police issued a citywide tactical alert Saturday night in response to protests downtown, a move that allows the department to have more officers and resources available.
Sergeant Anthony Costello said there had been no major problems with most of the crowd but that there were some isolated incidents of vandalism, including some broken windows and graffiti in the center of the United States court.
The video posted on social media showed police in riot gear confronting what appeared to be dozens of protesters outside City Hall. Some in the crowd waved posters and shouted, “Black lives matter” and “There is no justice, there is no peace.”
A woman’s face is bloodied when Los Angeles Police Department officers shoot down protesters who were part of a group that smashed glass windows in the United States Court.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Previously, dozens of protesters marched toward a section of Highway 101 heading north, while a smaller group broke up and protested around the United States Courthouse on First Street, where the windows were broken and the exterior walls painted. with spray, according to KTLA. An officer can be seen on video confronting a female protester in front of the building before another protester hits him on the ground.
There were some arrests, including at least one for vandalism, Costello said. But I didn’t know the total number of arrests.
“It is not the whole group that is doing it,” he said. “They are isolated individuals.”
By 9:30 pm, the protesters had mostly dispersed.
According to various media reports, protesters staged the protests in response to federal agents dispatched to Portland, Oregon, to quell the nightly protests that began two months ago after the murder of George Floyd by the Minneapolis police.
President Trump said he sent federal agents to the largest city in Oregon to stop the riots, but state and local officials say only tensions in the community are mounting.
A protester confronts police officers during a protest against fascism in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
