LAPD Remains On 'Blue Alert' In Wake Of Violence In Baltimore
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — The Los Angeles Police Department remains on "Blue Alert" Tuesday morning in wake of the violence in Baltimore prompted by the death of a man in police custody.
The Blue Alert, which requires all LAPD officers to go on patrol or assignment with a partner, was issued Monday after Baltimore police said it had received a credible threat that gangs were working together to take out law enforcement officers nationwide.
FULL COVERAGE OF VIOLENT BALTIMORE PROTESTS
Rioting and looting broke out in Baltimore just hours after the funeral for 25-year-old Freddie Gray, who died after he was injured in police custody.
Protesters took to the streets, shattering car windows, torching buildings and police cruisers and threw bricks at officers. A least 15 officers suffered injuries.
LIVE BLOG: Baltimore Riots, Looting Prompt State Of Emergency
The governor of Maryland activated the National Guard while Baltimore Mayor Rawlings-Blake imposed a week-long nighttime curfew. The first two games of a three-game series between the Baltimore Orioles and the Chicago White Sox were postponed due to the violence.
L.A. County Sheriff Jim McDonnell and religious leaders held a news conference Monday to call for peace. McDonnell said he does not want issues in other cities to erode the relationship his department has built with the community.
"We respect the right of people to exercise their First Amendment rights peacefully, but we can't condone violence and lawlessness of any kind," he said.
Six people were arrested in South Los Angeles Monday night during a police brutality protest.