In spite of the fact that there have been violent demonstrations, officials from the Los Angeles Police Department stated on Monday that local police are able to handle whatever the demonstrators hurl at them. They also stated that extra federal assistance is not essential and may constitute a barrier.
Jim McDonnell, the Chief of Police in Los Angeles, issued a statement in which he said, “The potential arrival of federal military forces in Los Angeles presents a significant logistical and operational challenge for those of us who are tasked with the responsibility of protecting this city.” In addition to our partners in mutual help, the Los Angeles Police Department has decades of expertise in managing large-scale public demonstrations, and we continue to be confident in our capacity to do so in a professional and efficient manner.
This statement was made by McDonnell in response to statements made by the administration of President Donald Trump, who stated that the city is out of control.
“As a result of the increased threats to federal law enforcement officers and federal buildings, approximately 700 active-duty United States Marines are being deployed to Los Angeles in order to restore order,” Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth stated in a post on X.
In reference to the governor of California, Gavin Newsom, Hegseth stated, “We have an obligation to defend federal law enforcement officers, even if Gavin Newsom will not.”
A representative for the Pentagon stated that in addition to the 700 Marines, 2,000 members of the National Guard were also asked to go to Los Angeles. Trump has already issued an order for 2,000 security personnel to be sent to the area.
The Los Angeles Police Department has acknowledged that things have become more chaotic. In addition to making fifty arrests, officers have fired approximately 600 shots that are not fatal.
29 individuals were taken into custody by the Los Angeles Police Department on Saturday for disobeying orders to disperse. On Sunday, twenty-one individuals were taken into custody. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the charges against them included attempted murder with a Molotov cocktail as well as assault with a deadly weapon on a law enforcement officer.
According to the police, cops fired over 600 rounds of non-lethal bullets and sprayed tear gas on the “hostile crowd” that they were confronting. An Australian journalist who was reporting the demonstrations was one among those who was attacked.
The office of Governor Gavin Newsom, on the other hand, has stated that the most severe kind of unrest has been triggered by the decision made by President Trump to station National Guardsmen and Marines in Los Angeles.
In an announcement made on Monday, Newsom stated that an additional 800 state and local police officers will be sent to Los Angeles in order to address confrontations between protesters and national guardsmen who were sent in “illegally,” as stated by the office of the governor.
The Mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, expressed her support for Newsom, saying, “While Washington orchestrated these chaotic events, the Los Angeles Police Department and local law enforcement continue to effectively respond.”
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, at least five officers from the department sustained minor injuries. Further, five police horses “were targeted and sustained minor injuries,” according to the report.
For the sake of “coordinating and evading law enforcement,” the police stated that protest groups utilized portable radios.
