Criminal Activity Amid Protests in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES – During the recent anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles, some criminal elements have taken advantage of the chaos, targeting a well-known sushi restaurant and frightening its owners and employees.

A video that surfaced online shows scenes from Otro Little Tokio on 2nd Avenue, where a person, seemingly part of a group, forcefully entered the restaurant and rummaged through belongings, turning over trash cans in the process.

Owner Kurt Kawai Chin expressed his fear for the safety of his business and that of his staff, stating, “There were a lot of outside people. I was very scared. I was worried they would steal everything and destroy everything.”

Chin mentioned that he might have to shut the restaurant for at least a week to recover from the incident.

“Everyone is scared. If the protests drag on, we might lose more. I hope the protests end soon, or else people will still feel afraid to come downtown,” he added.

During the turmoil, some protesters were trying to intervene and stop the looting, shouting at the individuals involved, urging them to leave the restaurant alone.

One protester yelled, “Hey, please leave!” as the looters flooded inside.

Accompanying footage showed a hooded individual leaving the restaurant after grabbing from the cash register and calling out, “Show us bad!” as he made his way into the street.

The looter, upon noticing the photographer documenting the scene, flashed a middle finger before the photographer, likely trying to avoid escalation, remarked, “No, that’s good.”

Other videos emerged showing protesters closing the doors behind the looter, making an effort to prevent any further entry.

Chin estimated the total losses to be around $100,000, which includes $10,000 just for the damaged door.

He noted, “The security company contacted us and reviewed the footage. …We were very fortunate,” regarding the situation.

LA has been grappling with this turbulent protest since Friday, which began after a series of raids by ICE that resulted in the arrests of approximately 100 undocumented immigrants.

Authorities have arrested several more aggressive protesters and are monitoring others who have yet to be apprehended.

President Trump has deployed 4,000 National Guard members and around 700 active Marines, asserting that left-leaning politicians and media are attempting to manage the civil unrest.