Visual story: How LA's rage, chaos and force unfolded day by day

Sydney Morning Herald

19 hours ago

Monday, June 9 (Tuesday AEST)
Police begin an effort to repel hundreds of demonstrators from downtown Los Angeles, with National Guard troops forming a human barricade to keep people out of the Federal Building next to the Metropolitan Detention Centre.
A phalanx of police moves up the street, pushing people from the scene and firing 'less lethal' munitions such as gas canisters. Some demonstrators climb onto a ledge to witness the scene, but are thrown to the ground by multiple officers, The New York Times reports.
Sporadic protests spread across LA County on Monday afternoon (Tuesday AEST) amid reports of federal immigration agents in the cities of Whittier and Huntington Park, south of Los Angeles.
Protests also reach San Francisco, where about 60 people are arrested on Sunday night (Pacific time), including some children.
President Donald Trump says he will send 700 marines to Los Angeles to help 'restore order' and authorises a further 2000 members of the National Guard, as immigration-related protests spread to other American cities, including San Francisco and Dallas.
Sunday, June 8
Downtown LA witnesses a third day of violent protests.
About 20 National Guard troops deploy to the Metropolitan Detention Centre, while some 300 National Guard troopers take up positions at three other sites in the city by mid-morning.
More than a dozen Homeland Security officers in riot gear join the National Guard at the detention centre, where hundreds of protesters have gathered.
At 1pm, National Guard, Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers attempt to clear the area using tear gas and crowd-control munitions.
Nine News correspondent Lauren Tomasi is reporting from the scene when she is hit in the lower leg by a rubber bullet, causing her to jump in pain.
In a post to X, Tomasi said she was 'a bit sore' but 'OK' after the incident
But later in the afternoon, protesters surge onto nearby Highway 101, a busy six-lane freeway, blocking traffic in at least one direction.
And near the Los Angeles Federal Building, police fire crowd-control munitions toward protesters, who have set up a barricade.
Social media videos show at least three people who appear to have been trampled and injured by police on horseback.
On Los Angeles Street, several Waymo driverless taxis are ablaze, with protesters painting graffiti and posing in front of the burning vehicles.
As dusk falls, hundreds of people remain on an overpass above Highway 101.
Authorities use tear gas and flash-bangs after protesters drop stones and rubbish on empty police vehicles below.
At 9.30 pm, the police declare an unlawful assembly in all of downtown LA. Law enforcement disperses most of the crowds by midnight.
Saturday, June 7
Clashes break out between protesters and law enforcement officers in Paramount, a small city about 32 kilometres south of downtown Los Angeles, amid rumours of a planned immigration raid on a Home Depot in the area.
Protesters attack law enforcement vehicles, while officers fire tear gas.
Tensions escalate as the LA County Sheriff's Department orders demonstrators to disperse, warning they will be arrested or face the use of force if they do not.
Officers fire tear gas canisters into the crowd as protesters retreat.
At 6pm, LA time, President Donald Trump orders 2000 National Guard troops to deploy to Los Angeles to protect federal officers carrying out immigration operations, despite the objections of California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
As night falls, protesters and the police continue to clash in Compton, across the Los Angeles River from the Home Depot in Paramount.
Officers fire flash-bang grenades and rubber bullets at the protesters, who throw stones, bottles and fireworks at the officers.
In downtown Los Angeles, protesters gather again near the Metropolitan Detention Centre. Police set up a barricade outside the building and order demonstrators to disperse.
Friday, June 6
Three immigration raids take place in Los Angeles.
About 3pm, dozens of people gather in the downtown Fashion District after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents visit a clothes factory.
Dozens of riot-gear-clad federal agents arrive to disperse the crowd and clear a path for two white passenger vans to leave.
Later that afternoon, hundreds of protesters gather at LA's Federal Building, calling for an end to immigration raids in the city.
Department of Homeland Security officers fire pepper balls at demonstrators before the Los Angeles Police Department disperses the crowd. More than 100 people are arrested, federal officials say.
Among those detained is David Huerta, president of Service Employees International Union California, who officials said was impeding federal agents by blocking their vehicle.