The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) in California declared the entire downtown LA area as an assembly prohibition zone. This action is in response to escalating protests against the Donald Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigrants.
According to CNN on the 8th local time, the LAPD announced this through X (formerly Twitter) and warned, "Leave the downtown area immediately."
Previously, the LAPD noted, "Instigators are scattered throughout the downtown area," and urged, "Residents and enterprises in downtown, as well as visitors, should be cautious and report any criminal activities immediately."
The protests, which began on the 6th, have entered their third day as of today, with vehicles burning and protestors occupying the highway, gradually escalating.
Tear gas and flashbangs were fired at the protestors, and reports indicate that a journalist covering the scene was struck by a non-lethal projectile during the suppression of the protests.
Additionally, more than 300 National Guard troops were deployed to the scene starting today, intensifying tensions further.
Meanwhile, the number of protestors being arrested is also increasing. Jim McDonnell, the chief of the LAPD, reported that a total of 27 individuals were arrested downtown on this day alone.
The arrested individuals are accused of throwing Molotov cocktails and ramming police lines with motorcycles. Among them, 17 were arrested on the 101 Freeway by the California Highway Patrol, and the remaining 10 were apprehended in downtown, according to the LAPD. The day before, 29 individuals were arrested during attempts to disperse the crowd.