Protesters gather in downtown Los Angeles over ICE raids for second straight day
Protests over the recent ICE raids and deportations continue Monday as demonstrators march along streets through downtown Los Angeles, leading to LAPD issuing a dispersal order in the early evening.
The large group, calling for a National Day of Action, could be seen through aerial footage walking in the middle of Spring Street, moving along to block an intersection at Chick Hearn Court and 11th Street all the while waving Mexico flags and carrying protest signs.
Demonstrators on Monday assembled at City Hall, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The group had gathered to support the nationwide initiative, "A Day Without Immigrants."
Elizabeth Henriquez from Monrovia joined Monday's demonstration. "The message is to the people, don't be scared and that we have rights as a community, as immigrants – don't be scared."
By early afternoon, about 1,000 demonstrators filled the Spring and Main streets overpasses of the 101 Freeway as police blocked freeway ramps to prevent the marchers from moving onto the roadway.
On Sunday, thousands of demonstrators gathered for the same cause and created some traffic disruptions as they blocked the Main Street Bridge and closed the 101 Freeway for hours.
The LAPD had earlier called the demonstration peaceful and reported that Spring Street, Main Street, Los Angeles Street, Arcadia Street and the 101 Freeway were under major gridlock by Sunday afternoon.
Police ultimately declared an unlawful assembly and forced the group to disperse. The freeway fully reopened by Sunday night.
On Monday, LAPD again declared unlawful assembly at around 4:45 p.m., leading to the try and disperse the massive crowd still gathered hours after the demonstration began.
"All persons who remain at Arcadia, Main, Spring and Los Angeles are subject to arrest. Please leave the area," said a post on X from LAPD's Central Division, directing people to exit the area northbound to Cesar Chavez Avenue.
Their decision came after officers allege that members of the crowd began to throw bottles and rocks at them, while demonstrators say that police initiated the outbreak.
"They were warned, they were identified and they were advised that if they do not leave, and if they converge again and continue this illegal activity they will be cited and in some cases arrested," said LAPD Commander Lillian Carranza.
SkyCal was live overhead as a skirmish line began to move towards the large crowd, pushing them from the area. A few blocks away, those forced to leave gathered at an intersection where a small street takeover took place.
At some point during the sideshow, a woman holding onto the side of a convertible was thrown face first into the pavement when the driver of the car accelerated. Another man was also injured after he was struck by a motorcycle in the middle of the intersection.
At around 7 p.m., a number of demonstrators briefly rushed onto the 101 Freeway again, but they were quickly forced from the road. Despite how brief the incident was, California Highway Patrol closed traffic in the area.
Hours later, just before 8 p.m., LAPD officers blocked a group of hundreds of demonstrators in the tunnel in the 200 block of Cesar Chavez Avenue. Police tell KCAL News that nearly 200 people were detained, many of which were expected to be cited and released.
One person was arrested for alleged possession of a firearm, police said. They are also searching for a person who they claim shot a firework at them and their helicopter that was monitoring the situation from overhead.
Further south, demonstrators similarly gathered in San Bernardino, where officers called BearCats to the scene and used teargas to disperse the crowd, according to the city. They say that rocks and bottles were thrown at them as well.
