Protesters were seen clashing with police and some remaining National Guard members during an apparent anti-ICE demonstration on Wednesday night in downtown Los Angeles, footage shows.
Details are limited on the demonstration, but the Los Angeles Police Department’s Central Division issued a traffic advisory on social media at 8:41 p.m. for the area of Alameda Street between Temple and Aliso Streets for “demonstrators possibly being on the roadway.”
Officials did not immediately say how many protesters were in the area at the time, but video provided by the Key News stringer service later in the night shows about a dozen apparent demonstrators scattered throughout the roads, clashing with L.A. police officers in front of the federal Metropolitan Detention Center.
There were no reports of tear gas or declarations of an unlawful assembly, despite tensions seeming high between protesters and officers. A large number of LAPD personnel seemed to be able to form skirmish lines and push away demonstrators, although, at one point, the footage shows National Guard members lining up in tactical gear with shields in a line. It does not appear as though the National Guard exercised any force in the situation.
It is unclear what led to Wednesday night’s relatively smaller downtown L.A. protest. KNN said reports of an assault on a federal officer defending the detention center escalated the gathering and led to one possible arrest, but officials have not confirmed or commented on this information.
In addition, unconfirmed reports from social media users and community leaders noted sightings of immigration enforcement activities in L.A. areas earlier in the day, such as Hawthorne and Beverly Hills, as well as in Santa Ana. KTLA has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement for comment on these reports.
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