“If you are in the curfew zone during the restricted hours without a legal exemption, you will be arrested. If you assault an officer in any fashion, you will be arrested.”
The Los Angeles Police Department has arrested nearly 200 individuals following the declaration of an unlawful assembly in downtown Los Angeles. The arrests come amid escalating protests and a newly imposed curfew by city officials aimed at restoring order after multiple nights of violent riots.
Pictures from FOX 11 showed crowds of people leaving the area as police established multiple skirmish lines.
According to the LAPD, multiple dispersal orders were issued to the crowd, and those who failed to comply were arrested.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced a mandatory curfew in parts of downtown Los Angeles, effective from 8 pm to 6 am local time. The curfew is expected to remain in place for several days as city leaders and law enforcement respond to the ongoing civil unrest.
Bass blamed "...bad actors who are taking advantage of the President's chaotic escalation,” in a post on X. She added, “If you do not live or work in Downtown LA, avoid the area. Law enforcement will arrest individuals who break the curfew, and you will be prosecuted.”
Bass also asked business leaders and residents to clean up the city because the World Cup is only a year away and might be in jeopardy.
The curfew applies to a one-square-mile section of downtown Los Angeles, bounded by the 5 and 110 freeways and extending between the 10 freeway and where the 110 and 5 merge. Exceptions to the curfew include residents, individuals traveling to or from work, and credentialed members of the press.
The LAPD confirmed that anyone participating in unlawful activity or refusing to disperse would be subject to arrest. LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said his department made 197 arrests Tuesday night, 130 of them near Commercial Street and Alameda, and 67 after demonstrators blocked the 101 Freeway. Charges included failure to disperse, vandalism, looting, attempted murder with a Molotov cocktail, resisting arrest, and other counts.
“Let me be clear that this behavior of blocking freeways, city streets, and on-ramps, refusing to comply with lawful dispersal orders, and interfering with public safety operations is dangerous… unlawful and won’t be tolerated,” McDonnell said in a press conference Tuesday evening. “If you are in the curfew zone during the restricted hours without a legal exemption, you will be arrested. If you assault an officer in any fashion, you will be arrested.”
The curfew decision follows five consecutive days of demonstrations across Los Angeles. Despite earlier declarations by Democratic leaders that the protests were peaceful, the city has experienced widespread property damage, including the torching of cars and attacks on law enforcement officers.
Bass said officials had been considering a curfew for several days, but the move became unavoidable after 23 businesses were looted or destroyed Monday night. “If you drive through downtown LA, the graffiti is everywhere and has caused significant damage to businesses and a number of properties,” she said.
Approximately 2,100 members of the California Army National Guard’s 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team have been deployed to the greater Los Angeles area. These troops are stationed in Los Angeles, Paramount, and Compton. Additionally, President Donald Trump ordered 700 US Marines to support local police and National Guard units.
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