University of Kwazulu-Natal

Lapd Under Fire As More And More Protesters Come Forward Claiming

Bonisiwe Shabane
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lapd under fire as more and more protesters come forward claiming

Bridgette Covelli arrived near Los Angeles City Hall for the June 14 “No Kings Day” festivities to find what she described as a peaceful scene: people chanting, dancing, holding signs. No one was arguing with the police, as far as she could tell. Enforcement of the city’s curfew wouldn’t begin for hours. But seemingly out of nowhere, Covelli said, officers began to fire rubber bullets and launch smoke bombs into a nearby crowd, which had gathered to protest the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement campaign. Covelli, 23, grabbed an electric bike and turned up 3rd Street, where another line of police blocked parts of the roadway. Deciding to head home, she turned to leave and had made it about two blocks when she felt a shock of pain in her arm as she fell from the bike and crashed to...

In a daze, she realized she was bleeding after being struck by a hard-foam projectile shot by an unidentified LAPD officer. They kept firing even as she lay on the ground, she said. “No dispersal order. Nothing at all,” she said. “We were doing everything right. There was no aggression toward them.”

Several protesters, including those of anti-ICE and No Kings Day, allege the LAPD fired rubber bullets at them for no clear reason, causing serious injuries and long recovery times. Martin Santoyo said he was reaching down to grab a water bottle from his backpack when an LAPD officer shot a rubber bullet from just about two feet away from him, sending him to... Santoyo went into emergency surgery, where the doctors say his groin area is still badly damaged and that he should return within the next week so they can assess. “It sucks to sit down,” Santoyo told KTLA. Amid the DTLA shutdown last week, several protesters are now coming forward alleging serious injuries inflicted by police, some saying they don’t know when they’ll be able to return to work. One protester, local filmmaker Marshall Woodruff, says a shot to the face blinded him in his right eye, and it’s unclear whether his vision can be restored.

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Members of the Los Angeles Police Department appear to have violated California law and a federal court order with their use of crowd control weapons during protests, civil rights attorneys told LAist. Two state laws passed in response to law enforcement actions during the 2020 George Floyd protests restrict the use of chemical agents and kinetic energy projectiles — crowd control weapons that include tear gas... The laws also forbid police from interfering with journalists covering protests. The laws state that crowd dispersal weapons can only be used when there is a clear threat to officers or bystanders, not solely to disperse crowds. Their use is supposed to follow clear warnings from law enforcement officers, from multiple locations and in multiple languages when possible. A federal court order stemming from litigation after the 2020 protests imposes similar restrictions on LAPD.

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Heinous, uncontrolled and violent. That's how one lawyer is describing the behavior of some Los Angeles police officers and deputies during the recent anti-ICE protests in SoCal. Several people, including journalists, were struck by less-lethal rounds, and now, several lawsuits are being filed. They claim they were unlawfully targeted by law enforcement with less-lethal rounds that left them seriously injured. When the protests broke out earlier this month, so did the rubber bullets. An Australian reporter wasn't the only journalist hit by less-lethal rounds.

Several others were struck, including journalist Ben Camacho. "You don't shoot reporters here," Camacho said. Camacho works for The Southlander, an investigative news cooperative, and said he was wearing his press credentials at a protest when sheriff's deputies targeted him. Officials at the Los Angeles Police Department said Monday that despite violent demonstrations, local police can handle whatever protesters throw at them and that additional federal help is unnecessary and could become a hindrance. “The possible arrival of federal military forces in Los Angeles - absent clear coordination - presents a significant logistical and operational challenge for those of us charged with safeguarding this city,” Police Chief Jim... “The Los Angeles Police Department, alongside our mutual aid partners, have decades of experience managing large-scale public demonstrations, and we remain confident in our ability to do so professionally and effectively.”

McDonnell’s statement comes amid the administration of President Donald Trump saying that the city is out of control. “Due to increased threats to federal law enforcement officers and federal buildings, approximately 700 active-duty U.S. Marines . . . are being deployed to Los Angeles to restore order,” Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said in a post on X.

“We have an obligation to defend federal law enforcement officers - even if Gavin Newsom will not,” Hegseth said of the California governor. The world’s first global local news network. Fox News correspondent Christina Coleman reports on the Los Angeles protests on ‘Fox Report.’ Hours after thousands of people flocked to downtown Los Angeles for a day of demonstrations, the scene took a turn from peaceful to violent as rising unrest spurred police to deploy tear gas. "The demonstration has taken the street. A DISPERSAL ORDER has been issued for all persons located on Alameda south of Aliso and North of Temple to immediately leave the area," LAPD wrote in a warning on X.

CALIFORNIA SHERIFF SAYS NEARLY A DOZEN DEPUTIES INJURED IN ANTI-ICE RIOTS "People in the crowd are throwing rocks, bricks, bottles and other objects. Less lethal has been approved. Less lethal may cause discomfort and pain. It is advised that all persons leave the area," another alert read. A coalition of press rights organizations is seeking a court order to stop the “continuing abuse” of journalists by the Los Angeles Police Department during protests over President Trump’s immigration crackdown.

The federal lawsuit, filed Monday by the Los Angeles Press Club and investigative reporting network Status Coup, seeks to “force the LAPD to respect the constitutional and statutory rights of journalists engaged in reporting... The suit cites multiple instances of officers firing foam projectiles at members of the media and otherwise flouting state laws that restrict the use of so-called less-lethal weapons in crowd control situations and protect... Those measures were passed in the wake of the 2020 protests over the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis when journalists were detained and injured by the LAPD while covering the unrest. The recent suit filed in the Central District of California describes journalists being shot with less-lethal police rounds, tear-gassed and detained without cause. Journalists have been shot with less-lethal police rounds, tear-gassed, shoved and detained while chronicling the ongoing civil unrest and military intervention in Los Angeles. For the record:10:48 a.m.

June 21, 2025: An earlier version of this article misspelled the last name of Raphael Mimoun as Mamoun. Bridgette Covelli arrived near Los Angeles City Hall for the June 14 "No Kings Day" festivities to find what she described as a peaceful scene: people chanting, dancing, holding signs. No one was arguing with the police, as far as she could tell. Enforcement of the city's curfew wouldn't begin for hours. But seemingly out of nowhere, Covelli said, officers began to fire rubber bullets and launch smoke bombs into a nearby crowd, which had gathered to protest the Trump administration's aggressive immigration enforcement campaign. Covelli, 23, grabbed an electric bike and turned up 3rd Street, where another line of police blocked parts of the roadway.

Deciding to head home, she turned to leave and had made it about two blocks when she felt a shock of pain in her arm as she fell from the bike and crashed to... In a daze, she realized she was bleeding after being struck by a hard-foam projectile shot by an unidentified LAPD officer. They kept firing even as she lay on the ground, she said.

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Bridgette Covelli Arrived Near Los Angeles City Hall For The

Bridgette Covelli arrived near Los Angeles City Hall for the June 14 “No Kings Day” festivities to find what she described as a peaceful scene: people chanting, dancing, holding signs. No one was arguing with the police, as far as she could tell. Enforcement of the city’s curfew wouldn’t begin for hours. But seemingly out of nowhere, Covelli said, officers began to fire rubber bullets and launch s...

In A Daze, She Realized She Was Bleeding After Being

In a daze, she realized she was bleeding after being struck by a hard-foam projectile shot by an unidentified LAPD officer. They kept firing even as she lay on the ground, she said. “No dispersal order. Nothing at all,” she said. “We were doing everything right. There was no aggression toward them.”

Several Protesters, Including Those Of Anti-ICE And No Kings Day,

Several protesters, including those of anti-ICE and No Kings Day, allege the LAPD fired rubber bullets at them for no clear reason, causing serious injuries and long recovery times. Martin Santoyo said he was reaching down to grab a water bottle from his backpack when an LAPD officer shot a rubber bullet from just about two feet away from him, sending him to... Santoyo went into emergency surgery,...

Truth Matters. Community Matters. Your Support Makes Both Possible. LAist

Truth matters. Community matters. Your support makes both possible. LAist is one of the few places where news remains independent and free from political and corporate influence. Stand up for truth and for LAist. Make your year-end tax-deductible gift now.

Members Of The Los Angeles Police Department Appear To Have

Members of the Los Angeles Police Department appear to have violated California law and a federal court order with their use of crowd control weapons during protests, civil rights attorneys told LAist. Two state laws passed in response to law enforcement actions during the 2020 George Floyd protests restrict the use of chemical agents and kinetic energy projectiles — crowd control weapons that inc...