United States: A tense equilibrium settled outside Los Angeles City Hall by late Sunday, as demonstrators and a stern phalanx of police officers stood locked in a brittle standoff.
LAPD personnel, faces set like granite, clutched so-called “less-lethal” launchers—devices that discharge foam-tipped projectiles notorious for leaving swollen bruises and searing welts. For a third consecutive day, crowds surged through downtown’s concrete arteries. While many rallied against sweeping federal immigration crackdowns, others seemed drawn by chaos itself.
Among the throng, a few young men slinked forward, clutching hidden objects with cagey urgency. As they neared the police line, eggs were hurled into blue uniforms. Officers responded, unleashing their riot arms into the dispersing multitude.
Jonas March, a 21-year-old freelance documentarian, hit the ground as foam rounds zipped past. “Tried to crawl away low,” he said. “Stood up and bam—they shot me right in the backside.”
Chief Jim McDonnell sought to separate earnest demonstrators from what he termed masked “anarchists,” individuals he alleged were manipulating civil unrest for destructive pursuits, according to LATimes.com.
“When I see who’s engaging in this violence—it’s not the daytime protesters demanding rights,” McDonnell stated. “These folks are cloaked in hoods and masks. They aren’t new to this—they drift from one turmoil to another, deploying the same blueprint for disorder.”
Waves of property damage and flare-ups of aggression have yanked focus from the rallies’ original goal—drawing attention to immigration raids in largely Latino enclaves like Paramount, Whittier, and Huntington Park.
Instead, the media spotlight burned on downtown L.A., where civic calm had ruptured into visceral spectacles: self-driving Waymo vehicles consumed in flames, city walls scrawled with anti-police slogans, and veiled figures heaving debris at officers guarding freeway ramps.
According to McDonnell, some agitators used hammers to fracture cinder blocks, weaponizing shards as airborne projectiles. Others ignited high-grade fireworks at close range. “Those things can kill,” he warned.
Across the weekend, law enforcement detained 50 individuals. Among them: a man suspected of ramming a motorcycle into a police formation, and another accused of launching a Molotov cocktail.
McDonnell affirmed that investigations had just begun. Surveillance from police bodycams and citizen videos will be scrutinized to track additional culprits. “This first round of arrests is only the start,” he said.
Officials from the city attorney and LA County district attorney’s office declined to confirm if cases were yet under legal review. However, Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman pledged consequences for those who “ignite vehicles, pummel officers, and desecrate public property.”
Earlier Sunday, turmoil unfurled outside the Metropolitan Detention Center. National Guard troops and Homeland Security officers squared off with protesters, triggering a clash that started without warning, as per LATimes.com.
Around 1 pm, the Guard advanced in tight formation, shouting “push” while wielding riot shields like battering rams. They deployed pepper balls, gas canisters, flash-bangs, and smoke charges—all before any direct aggression was shown by demonstrators.
Federal authorities had earlier urged the crowd to clear access lanes for arriving vehicles, but their messages were drowned in chants. The surprise offensive seemed timed to open space for incoming DHS convoys.
Later, fireworks and glass bottles rained down on the LAPD from an agitated segment of the crowd. Two bikers revved engines near the frontline, only to be accused of striking officers. Both riders were wrestled to the pavement, then dragged away across glass-littered asphalt as rubber casings crunched underfoot.
Meanwhile, vandals ignited a row of autonomous Waymos across the 101 Freeway. Smoke curled into the sky as skateboard-wielding individuals shattered the SUVs’ glass. Others posed triumphantly atop burning vehicles for social media’s hungry lens.
As California Highway Patrol forced demonstrators off the freeway, masked individuals retaliated—lobbing concrete fragments and even e-scooters at officers sheltering under an overpass. One chunk dented a CHP cruiser, drawing roars of approval from the mob.
Near City Hall, police steered protesters into Gloria Molina Grand Park. There, some yanked neon-pink benches from concrete footings, forming a makeshift blockade across Spring Street.
The eclectic crowd included a robed Catholic priest and a woman crowned in a feathered Aztec headdress. They gathered behind the barricade until mounted officers surged in, wielding long wooden batons. A viral video later showed a woman being trampled during the melee.
The throng then funneled into the Broadway corridor. Around 11 pm, reports of looting trickled in. Aerial footage from ABC-7 revealed masked figures prying open the entrance of a shoe store, as reported by LATimes.com.
Chief McDonnell expressed deep disappointment. “These scenes aren’t just disheartening—they’re an affront to every honorable soul in this city,” he said.
Earlier in the day, before tempers boiled over, Julie Solis walked solemnly along Alameda Street, waving a California flag. Her message was clear: don’t lose the moral high ground.
“They want us to erupt. They’re hoping we’ll implode,” said Solis, 50. “We must rise above. Speak with clarity, not fire.”
