Los Angeles live: British photographer has emergency surgery after being hit by non-lethal bullet amid LA unrest

Sky News

4 hours ago

What do you need to know this morning?
It's just hit 10.30pm in Los Angeles (6.30am UK time) and hostilities continue between National Guard troops and protesters.
Let's bring you up to speed with what's been happening... Tensions in Los Angeles escalated yesterday as thousands of protesters gathered in the streets in response to Donald Trump's deployment of the National Guard;
Protesters blocked off a major motorway and set vehicles on fire as police used tear gas and rubber bullets to control the crowds;
Some police patrolled the streets on horseback while others with riot gear lined up behind Guard troops deployed to protect federal facilities - including a detention centre where some immigrants were taken in recent days;
The clashes came on the third day of demonstrations against Trump's immigration crackdown in the region;
By midday local time, hundreds had gathered outside the Metropolitan Detention Centre in downtown Los Angeles, where people were detained after earlier immigration raids;
Protesters directed chants of "shame" and "go home" at members of the National Guard;
California governor Gavin Newsom said Trump was trying to "manufacture a crisis" by sending in the National Guard. The Democrat warned the president was "hoping for chaos" to enable "more crackdowns".
LA mayor: Don't engage in violence and chaos
Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass has held a meeting with California governor Gavin Newsom, the LAPD and other officials and called on Angelenos to not engage in violence.
Here is what she has said this morning...
Eyewitness: Downtown LA is a scene of pandemonium and lawlessness
Our US correspondent Martha Kelner has been reporting from the unrest in LA. Here's a taster of her latest eyewitness piece...
A shirtless man waving a Mexican flag stands atop a burning car in the heart of Los Angeles, as another man throws a traffic cone into the flames and some play drums and shout chants in opposition to immigration officials.
In the background, city hall can be glimpsed through a haze of thick black smoke.
The downtown district of one of America's biggest cities was a scene of pandemonium and lawlessness as protests, which had previously been mainly peaceful, turned ugly.
Critics of Donald Trump said the president's extraordinary decision to deploy National Guard troops, defying the wishes of the state's governor, had inflamed tensions and stoked emotions.
Read Kelner's full piece below...
British photographer hit by non-lethal bullets
A British photographer has been hit by non-lethal rounds during protests in Los Angeles.
Nick Stern was documenting a stand-off between anti Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) protesters and police outside a Home Depot in Paramount when a 14mm "sponge bullet" tore into his thigh.
He has now undergone emergency surgery and is recovering at Long Beach Memorial Medical Centre.
"Some of the protesters came and helped me, and they ended up carrying me, and I noticed that there was blood pouring down my leg," he told PA.
It is the second incident of this kind that Stern, who emigrated to the US in 2007, has been involved in - the first was when he was hit by a live round during the George Floyd protests in 2020.
He said he tries to make himself as "visible as possible" while working in hostile situations.
"That way you're less likely to get hit because they know you're media," he added.
Unrest in Los Angeles in numbers
There have been at least 56 arrests so far during the protests in Los Angeles, police chief Jim McDonnell said at a news conference.
Ten people were arrested on Sunday, in addition to the 29 arrested on Saturday.
The California Highway Patrol, which was in charge of law enforcement along the 101 Freeway as protesters shut it down, made a further 17 arrests.
Among those arrested was a person who allegedly threw a Molotov cocktail at an officer and another who is accused of ramming a motorcycle into a line of officers, injuring one.
Three LAPD officers were injured but did not require transport.
At least five Waymo vehicles have gone up in flames, causing plumes of black smoke and even explosions.
Around 300 National Guard troops have been deployed to LA, with 1,700 more on the way, according to Trump.
Additionally, US Northern Command said 500 Marines were standing by, ready to support the National Guard if necessary.
In pictures: 101 Freeway closed until further notice
The Los Angeles Police Department said that "due to demonstrators throwing objects" onto the 101 Freeway and "damaging multiple police vehicles", the road would remain closed until further notice.
Newsom vows to sue Trump over National Guard deployment
Gavin Newsom has vowed to sue Donald Trump for deploying National Guard troops to Los Angeles without consulting him as the governor.
"There's a protocol, there's a process, he didn't care about that," Newsom said in an interview with MSNBC, adding that he plans to file the lawsuit early Monday morning.
He accused Trump of being a "stone-cold liar" after the pair spoke on Friday and the president allegedly made no mention of deploying the National Guard.
Newsom also said Trump was the "sponsor" of the conditions in LA right now, adding that authorities in California were trying to clear up "his mess".
The governor urged protesters to "stay peaceful" and not "take Trump's bait", adding: "Don't give him the excuse he's looking for."
"These are not protesters, they are troublemakers and insurrectionists," Trump claimed in a Truth Social post.
500 Marines on standby, NORTHCOM says
Five hundred Marines are ready to support the National Guard troops in Los Angeles, US Northern Command said.
They would be deployed "should they be necessary to augment and support the (Department of Defense's) protection of federal property and personnel efforts", it said in a statement.
It comes after Trump said he would not rule out sending Marines to Los Angeles - see our post at 3.35.
In pictures: Cars are burning in Los Angeles
Several vehicles branded as Waymo Driver SUVs providing autonomous, driver-free rides in LA went up in flames, causing black plumes of smoke to billow into the sky.
The electric cars have lithium-ion batteries, which the Los Angeles Police Department warned can "release toxic gasses" when ablaze.
A noxious smell has been noted in the area, with some of the fires resulting in explosions within the vehicles.
Waymo has suspended its service in downtown LA "until it is deemed safe".
Trump stumbles on steps of Air Force One after saying there are 'violent people' in LA
The US president stumbled while climbing the steps to Air Force One in Morristown, New Jersey, on Sunday.
He managed to catch himself on the handrail before he could fall on to the steps.
Before his stumble, Donald Trump told reporters on the tarmac that there were "violent people" in Los Angeles and that "we're not gonna let them get away with it".
When asked about whether he would invoke the Insurrection Act, Trump said this was "depending on whether or not there is an insurrection".
He added: "We're going to have troops everywhere, we're not gonna let that happen to our country, we're not gonna let our country be torn apart."
Trump also didn't rule out sending Marines to Los Angeles.
"If we see danger to our country, to our citizens, I will be very, very strong in terms of law and order. It's about law and order," he said.