As protest crowds swelled on a Sunday afternoon in early June—the first weekend of immigration enforcement operations in Los Angeles—agitators joined demonstrators, and one dramatic moment broadcast worldwide became a symbol of the unrest.
The 101 Freeway, one of the busiest in the nation, turned into a flashpoint as California Highway Patrol cruisers came under attack from above.
Aerial footage showed agitators hurling chunks of concrete, full-size scooters, and flaming projectiles from the Main Street overpass onto the freeway, where officers were pinned and unable to move.
Just feet away, other lanes of the freeway remained open as chaos unfolded on the opposite side.
According to the California Highway Patrol, 24 patrol vehicles were damaged during the unrest, with three of them destroyed beyond repair. The freeway was shut down for hours for cleanup.
A key factor in the destruction may have been the absence of chain-link safety fencing on the Main Street overpass above the 101.
While many assume such fencing is standard on all overpasses, Caltrans—the agency overseeing California’s freeway system—confirms that only one side of the Main Street overpass is equipped with fencing. The other side, left unprotected, allowed agitators easy access to target vehicles below.
Caltrans’ own design guidelines state that “railings serve both safety and aesthetic functions,” and that fence-type barriers “reduce the risk of objects being dropped on the roadway below.”
These barriers could not only prevent protest-related incidents but also potentially save lives.
Records obtained by KTLA from the Los Angeles Fire Department show LAFD responded to at least 24 incidents of individuals in crisis situations -threatening to harm themselves- by way of those downtown overpasses on the 110 and 101 freeways since 2023.
Although the records don’t specify which overpasses were involved, some likely lacked protective fencing.
When asked specifically about the Main Street overpass, Caltrans stated it has added chain-link fencing to numerous overpasses in recent years—particularly where sidewalks run adjacent to the barrier. Additional upgrades are planned for other overpasses in the coming years.
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