Dozens of people were arrested Sunday and accused of attempted murder, arson and other crimes during a day of violence and protests in Los Angeles.
A combined 42 arrests were made by the Los Angeles Police Department, California Highway Patrol and Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the LAPD said early Monday. Alleged crimes included attempted murder, looting, arson, failure to disperse, assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer and other offenses.
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WATCH HEREThe LAPD said its officers arrested 21 people Sunday as a suspect facing an attempted murder charge allegedly used a Molotov cocktail against officers.
Five officers and five LAPD horse were injured while conducting crowd control, the police department added in a statement.
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SIGN UP "This violence that I've seen is disgusting," said LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell. "It's escalated now. What we saw the first night was bad. What we've seen subsequent to that is getting increasingly worse and more violent."
People also directed commercial grade fireworks at officers, McDonnell added.
"That can kill you," he said.
The arrests came during a third straight day of unrest in Los Angeles, where demonstrations were organized over recent federal immigration raids in Southern California. At least 50 arrests were reported over the weekend.
Tensions intensified after early afternoon protests outside a federal detention center in downtown Los Angeles when the group, confronted by police, moved away from the area and onto the nearby 101 Freeway.
Rocks, bottles and other objects were thrown at police officers and patrol vehicles. McDonnell said some people brought larger rocks in backpacks and broke them into smaller pieces to hurl at officers.
"I've seen civil unrest before, and generally, the second and third days are more violence," McDonnell said.
McDonnell said the department was overwhelmed by the number of protesters and were working through attacks on officers that included Molotov cocktails, hammers and stones. Several Waymo driverless cars were set on fire and the LAPD said looters broke into a shoe store and other businesses between Sixth Street and Broadway on Sunday.
The LAPD sent a cell phone alert to demonstrators about an unlawful assembly in the downtown Los Angeles area.
A fourth day of demonstrations over ICE operations are planned for Monday.
"We recognize that immigration enforcement operations can cause a deep fear and anxiety, particularly in immigrant communities," McDonnell said. "That's why we're committed to transparency, accountability and treating every Angeleno with respect, regardless of their immigration status.
"Our job is to keep everyone safe. We will continue to support peaceful protests and enforce the law on criminal action. The LAPD supports and protects the First Amendment right to free speech We're committed to treating every Angeleno with respect, regardless of their immigration status."
McDonnell said he had spoken with Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman, who said he would file charges where appropriate.
On Sunday morning, about 300 federalized National Guard members were deployed to federal properties in Los Angeles, including the downtown LA Metropolitan Detention Center. McDonnell said the LAPD has a very good relationship with the National Guard after working closely together for months during the Palisades Fire that ignited Jan. 7.
During Sunday's protest on Alameda Street, National Guard members threw tear gas canisters and smoke grenades toward the demonstrators. The crowd briefly dispersed, but returned a few minutes later.
Newsom, who typically only deploys the California National Guard upon request from local law enforcement, accused President Trump of trying to create a spectacle rather than acting on a "legitimate need."
The governor later said he had formally requested the Trump administration rescind their unlawful deployment of troops in Los Angeles county and return them to his command.
"We didn't have a problem until Trump got involved," Newsom said. "This is a serious breach of state sovereignty -- inflaming tensions while pulling resources from where they're actually needed.
"Rescind the order. Return control to California."
This appears to be the first time in decades that a state’s National Guard was activated without a request from its governor.
