Fact Check: Video doesn't show people setting Jeep on fire during LA protests
Claim:
A video authentically showed people setting a Jeep on fire during June 2025 protests in Los Angeles over immigration enforcement.
Rating:
Context:
While the video of people setting fire to a Jeep in Los Angeles is real, it was not filmed during the June 2025 immigration protests. The video was taken in March 2024 during a street takeover in Los Angeles' Hyde Park neighborhood.
In June 2025, a video circulated on X claiming to show people in Los Angeles dousing a Jeep with gasoline and lighting it on fire.
The video was shared as thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in Los Angeles to protest immigration raids led by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration.
The footage appeared in a popular X post (archived) that read, "OVERNIGHT IN LA: Low IQ Illegal Aliens light themselves on FIRE after dousing Jeep with gasoline and lighting it. Do you feel bad for these guys?"
(X user @OcrazioCornPop)
The claim also appeared elsewhere on (archived) X (archived).
However, the video was miscaptioned. While the footage is authentic and was captured in Los Angeles, it does not show people dousing a Jeep in gasoline and setting it on fire amid the June 2025 protests. It was taken in March 2024 during an unrelated street takeover in Los Angeles.
Using InVid to isolate keyframes of the viral video and RevEye to conduct a reverse image search, Snopes traced the footage back to the March 2024 incident.
The reverse image search led us to a Daily Mail article published on March 15, 2024. The article included screenshots from a video that showed a Jeep doused in gasoline and set on fire during a street takeover in Los Angeles' Hyde Park neighborhood.
The Daily Mail credited the footage to a TikTok user. Snopes found an Instagram account with the same username that shared the footage of a Jeep set on fire in a post on March 9, 2024.
We also conducted a Google search using details from the Daily Mail article to find further reporting on the incident. That led us to an article published by Los Angeles news station KABC on March 12, 2024, that includes footage of the incident.
The video in the KABC article and on TikTok appear to be captured from a different angle than the footage shared in June 2025, but the videos clearly show the same incident. The person pouring the gasoline on the Jeep is wearing the same beanie and red coat in the KABC and TikTok videos and the footage shared in June 2025. A street sign for 63rd Street also is visible in all of the videos.
Though Snopes could not verify the source of the video circulating on X in June 2025, there was enough evidence to show it was filmed before the 2025 protests in Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles Police Department said the street takeover where the video was captured occurred at the intersection of 63rd Street and Crenshaw Boulevard in the early hours of March 9, 2024, according to KABC. Police said about 50 cars were involved in the street takeover and the crowd was already dispersing when officers arrived.
Snopes reached out to the LAPD for additional information about the video and incident, and is awaiting a response.
While the video of the Jeep is miscaptioned, protesters did set self-driving cars on fire during June 2025 clashes with federal immigration authorities in Los Angeles, The Associated Press reported.
Tatananni, Mackenzie. "Shocking Moment Woman Is Sent Flying and Knocked out Cold by Car Doing Donuts at 'Street Takeover'..." Mail Online, Daily Mail, 15 Mar. 2024, www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13200093/woman-car-donuts-street-takeover-Los-Angeles.html. Accessed 9 June 2025.
"Jeep Doused in Gasoline and Set on Fire during Chaotic Street Takeover in Hyde Park." ABC7 Los Angeles, 12 Mar. 2024, abc7.com/hyde-park-street-takeover-jeep-set-on-fire-video/14515977/. Accessed 9 June 2025.
Dearen, Jason and Sullivan, Tim. "California Governor Plans to File Lawsuit against Trump over National Guard Deployment to Protests." AP News, 9 June 2025, apnews.com/article/los-angeles-protests-national-guard-trump-14c9dda32663d7d2c45f2b1c5a1d219c. Accessed 9 June 2025.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
an hour ago
- Washington Post
Trump vows to "HIT" any protester who spits on police. He pardoned those who did far worse on Jan. 6
In one of his first acts of his second term as president, Donald Trumppardoned hundreds of people who attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, to try to keep him in office, including those who beat police officers. On Monday, Trump posted a warning on social media to those demonstrating in Los Angeles against his immigration crackdown and confronting police and members of the National Guard he had deployed: 'IF THEY SPIT, WE WILL HIT, and I promise you they will be hit harder than they have ever been hit before. Such disrespect will not be tolerated!'
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum reacts to LA ICE protests
The Brief Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum condemned violence during recent Los Angeles protests over President Donald Trump's immigration agenda, urging peaceful demonstrations. Sheinbaum called for fair legal treatment for the Mexican nationals arrested and reiterated Mexico's commitment to protecting its citizens' human rights abroad. LOS ANGELES - Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo is speaking out following mass anti-ICE protests in the Los Angeles area over President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. Sheinbaum Condemns Violence During a press conference Monday, Sheinbaum condemned the reported acts of violence over the weekend in Los Angles and called for peaceful demonstrations. "We do not agree with violent actions as a form of protest. Burning police cars appears to be more an act of provocation than of resistance. We condemn violence, no matter where it comes from. We call on the Mexican community to act pacifically and not allow itself to be provoked," she said. She added that Mexico has enlisted consular services to ensure that detained citizens have access to legal representation and are guaranteed due process. A day ago, Sheinbaum praised the contributions of Mexicans in Los Angeles, calling them "good, honest men and women who left to seek a better life for themselves and to support their families." "They are not criminals," she said. "Los Angeles wouldn't be what it is if it weren't for the Mexicans who live there." SUGGESTED: Trump calls for Newsom's arrest, calls him 'grossly incompetent' Sheinbaum further said Mexican migrants are welcome back to the country if they wish to return. "We call for a ban on violence," she said. "Consuls are instructed to stay in touch with the 35 detained Mexicans and their families, and above all, to acknowledge the work of their fellow Mexicans there." Sheinbaum also stressed that Mexico would continue to pursue diplomatic efforts on behalf of its citizens. "The Mexican government will continue using all diplomatic and legal channels available to express its disagreement through its consular network with practices that criminalize immigration and put at risk the safety and wellbeing of our communities in the United States," she said. The backstory The recent anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles erupted following widespread anger over the agency's enforcement tactics. Community leaders reported incidents of ICE appearing at elementary school graduations, disrupting the legitimate immigration processes at various court houses, and aggressively raiding workplaces and locations like Home Depot. SUGGESTED: Newsom fires back at Trump over deployment of National Guard in LA These actions, perceived as arbitrary and invasive, sparked outrage among residents and galvanized the public into widespread demonstrations across Los Angeles County. Over the weekend, tensions grew high across the city with video capturing smoke bombs being tossed around, cars being set on fire and nonlethal rounds of rubber bullets flying across downtown Los Angeles, Paramount and Westlake, in addition to freeways near downtown. Big picture view The recent raids come in the wake of President Donald Trump's nationwide push for mass deportations. Internal government data shows ICE arrests during Trump's second term have already surpassed 100,000 this week, including over 2,000 arrests on both Tuesday and Wednesday. This marks a dramatic increase from the daily average of approximately 660 arrests during the first 100 days of the Trump administration. SUGGESTED: Waymo cars set on fire as Los Angeles immigration raids protests continue These numbers reportedly move closer to the stated goal of top administration officials, such as White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, who has pushed for ICE to conduct "a minimum" of 3,000 arrests each day. The Source Information for this story is from the office of President Claudia Sheinbaum and previous FOX 11 reports. The Associated Press contributed.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
What we know about the tactics used in the Los Angeles protests
A relative state of calm in Los Angeles began to crumble early Sunday afternoon as demonstrators confronted federal authorities guarding a downtown detention facility where chaos erupted as National Guard soldiers deployed tear gas on an increasingly agitated crowd. An already tense situation began to escalate as a line of troops sent in by President Donald Trump the previous night – against the will of state officials –started forming what's called a 'skirmish line' around 1 p.m. The troops used riot shields to push the crowd back to make way for a convoy of approaching law enforcement vehicles. The soldiers were heavily armed, carrying standard-use M4 military rifles affixed with magazines, suggesting they were loaded with ammunition. Such weaponry in the hands of military personnel on the streets of an American city is rare, as is the use of the armed forces to conduct crowd control. In an apparent response to a member of the crowd lobbing an object at authorities, the National Guard and US Homeland Security agents fired less lethal projectiles and deployed tear gas on the group. A large number of Los Angeles Police Department officers in riot gear arrived as the crowd continued to build and began dispersing people, moving them away from the federal jail. Unlike much of the US military, LAPD officers receive extensive training in crowd control techniques – tactics officers were called upon to use during social unrest in the city following George Floyd's death in 2020. The effort, however, became a new flashpoint as certain hostile demonstrators threw bottles and other items at officers, who responded by swinging their batons and striking some members of the crowd. The protests had begun Friday night in response to federal immigration raids in the Los Angeles area, which come amid Trump's larger crackdown involving raids and deportations across the country. The LAPD announced dispersal orders and issued a citywide 'tactical alert,' putting the entire police department on standby for possible deployment. During a tactical alert, officers currently on duty must remain on shift until relieved by their commanders, and certain calls for service from the public may not be addressed until the alert is lifted. In one shocking moment, a motorcyclist plowed into a line of LAPD officers, injuring at least two of them, authorities said. The rider was quickly swarmed by a half dozen cops and arrested. It ranked among the most extreme incidents of violence witnessed Sunday. While teams of officers continued to push back crowds around the downtown area, there were additional clashes – including some violent agitators firing what the city's police chief described as 'commercial-grade fireworks' at authorities. As a group of mounted patrol officers surrounded a protester on the ground, a barrage of fireworks appeared to suddenly startle one of the horses, seen on video trampling the man. Another horse-mounted officer then struck the man with a stick. The video appears to show officers in a chaotic situation employing contradictory police tactics on the same person, which can often lead to confusion or dangerous outcomes. While one officer appeared to order the man to stand up and leave, the man was quickly tackled by another officer after standing. It is unclear from the video what happened before the incident, the reason officers initially surrounded him and whether he was ultimately arrested. Experts say the use of horses to patrol protests does come with numerous benefits to officers. The height of the animal provides a mounted officer with a vantage point to look over and into large crowds. The imposing size of a horse can also have a psychological effect in dissuading potential violence. Beyond the demonstrators protesting the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, vandals struck the downtown area as the afternoon continued. Building and vehicle windows were shattered and graffiti was sprayed. Multiple self-driving Waymo cars were also vandalized and set ablaze. Around 4 p.m., groups of demonstrators moved from the city streets to the lanes of the busy 101 Freeway, bringing traffic to a halt. Several dozen officers from the California Highway Patrol responded to clear people from the freeway, while some violent demonstrators on an overpass hurled objects such as scooters and rocks at CHP officers, smashing the windows and damaging several police cruisers. At one point, a man on an overpass dropped a lit object onto the hood of one of the CHP vehicles, attempting to set it on fire. Officers taking refuge under the bridge responded with fire extinguishers to douse the flames. The 101 Freeway incident showed instances of law enforcement trying to deescalate a chaotic situation rather than ratcheting up tensions with overwhelming force. For example, rather than bringing in teams of officers to surround and confront the demonstrators destroying property from atop the bridge, authorities appeared to wait them out. Officials have warned police will continue to review video taken at the scene in order to bring charges against those allegedly responsible for assault and damage. Additionally, officers clearing the freeway of demonstrators appeared to try to slow down the situation and remove people in groups, even as some isolated skirmishes occurred. A tactic known as an 'L-formation,' in which officers align themselves in the shape of the letter, created a natural path of movement for the demonstrators police were trying to direct off the highway. Shortly after 9 p.m., LAPD declared the entirety of downtown Los Angeles an unlawful assembly, and worked for several hours to disperse crowds ignoring the order. Authorities said dozens of people were arrested in Los Angeles as part of Sunday's unrest.
