Riot police gathered around the LAPD bus as arrests began amid ongoing unrest fueled by anti-ICE protests in the city.
Groups of arrested individuals were seen lined up along the street, restrained and surrounded by officers.
The LAPD’s riot control unit formed a line near the Metropolitan Detention Center, ostensibly to clear downtown streets as the protests entered their fourth day. Reports indicate that rioters were warned that they could either disperse or face arrest.
Officers were not just issuing warnings; they began arresting participants and containing those who were attempting to escort them, according to reports.
Around 2,000 protesters were estimated to be involved in the riots on Sunday, with at least 56 individuals arrested over the weekend following a particularly volatile Monday night.
This surge in arrests coincides with authorities’ intensified efforts to track down those responsible for violence against law enforcement in recent days.
On Monday, the FBI disclosed that video footage captured a 40-year-old man, Elpidio Reina, throwing bricks at federal officers during the protests. A spokesperson emphasized that Reina’s identity is known and he will be pursued.
“Elpidio Reina can run, but he can’t hide. He threw a rock at federal officials, and that’s no small thing,” they stated, noting that he could face up to eight years in prison if convicted of assaulting a federal officer.
A spokesperson from the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office confirmed that Reina has not yet been apprehended.
President Trump ordered the deployment of an additional 2,000 National Guard troops in Los Angeles on Monday, increasing the total to more than 4,000 security personnel in California. Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Pete Hegses announced that 700 active Marines have been sent to assist local and federal authorities in managing the protests.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, who previously filed a lawsuit against the federal government over the initial National Guard deployment, denounced the additional troop mobilization as unnecessary and disrespectful to military personnel.
Newsom expressed concerns on social media, highlighting that the initial National Guard units deployed lacked basic supplies like food and water, suggesting that the real issue was political rather than one of public safety.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass criticized the Trump administration for allegedly inciting “disorder and chaos” through such large military deployments.
She voiced her belief that the city is caught in a harmful experiment that it never asked for, and appealed to the federal government to halt what she called an attack.
In a sharp retort, Homeland Security Secretary Christy Noem accused both Newsom and Bass of failing to protect residents from crime and fostering a lawless environment, arguing that their leadership has done little to enhance public safety.
