LAPD Arrests 226 People Amid Downtown L.A. Anti-Trump Protests. Do You Think Police Is Right?
The Los Angeles Police Department made 226 arrests, Officer Tony Im said. Some people were cited and released while others were taken into custody on suspicion of blocking roadways or juvenile curfew violations, Im said. He added that 203 adults and 23 juveniles were arrested.
The arrests occurred early Friday morning after protests that began Thursday night. Dozens of protesters were seen being placed onto police buses about 3 a.m.
One uniformed officer was in stable condition after being hurt while trying to take a person into custody, LAPD Sgt. Barry Montgomery said. The officer was hospitalized, Montgomery said.
The incident was under investigation. Several people were arrested, but it wasn’t immediately clear how or if they were connected to the officer’s injuries, Montgomery said.
Evidence markers and police tape remained Friday morning around the grassy dog park area next to the building.
About 150 people — a mix of adults and juveniles — were arrested near Cesar E. Chavez and Grand avenues by 3 a.m., Montgomery said.
Just after midnight, in a separate set of arrests, about 35 were taken into custody after failing to disperse in the area of Olive Street and Olympic Boulevard, Montgomery said.
“F— Trump” graffiti could be seen in various locations in the downtown area.
Most of the protesters appeared to be young — under 30. One young man told KTLA that there was a feeling of “love” and unity among Trump’s critics.
“When you’re in that crowd … you know everyone’s not just saying ‘F Donald Trump’ just to say it,” protester Arnold Jimenes told KTLA. “Everyone feels that this man should not be representing our country.”
LAPD Sgt. Jack Richter lamented the destructiveness of the vandals.
“It was quite a sad scene,” Richter said. “There’s going to be a lot of graffiti. There’s going to be some damage to some buildings, some vehicles, and … even to the psyche of the city itself.”
Montgomery, meanwhile, downplayed the damage and said police were “hoping for the best but, as always, prepared for the worst.”
Richter said the protesters who had identification on them were cited and released while those without ID were taken to jail to be identified and then released.
@realDonaldTrump
Protests over Donald Trump’s election swept through major cities, nearly 200 people were arrested by Los Angeles police in the downtown L.A.
