Los Angeles gripped by chaos as protesters storm major highway

Daily Mail​

2 days ago

Los Angeles is under siege as protesters set fire to driverless cars and authorities rain down a hail of rubber bullets on demonstrators as they march against President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal migrants. Horrifying scenes showed Waymo cars erupting into flames and emitting toxic gases as rioters chained themselves to furniture and created blockades to grind Downtown Los Angeles to a complete halt on Sunday night as violence stretched into a third day.
Trump sent in 2,000 National Guard troops and placed 500 Marines on standby, while the LAPD has authorized the 'use of less lethal munitions' to regain control of the city. The conflict has sparked a war of words between Trump and California Governor Gavin Newsom, who accused him of intentionally inflaming tensions. Trump hit back with a Truth Social post on Sunday demanding both Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass apologize for the LA riots, insisting those involved are not 'peaceful protesters' as the duo had claimed, but instead 'troublemakers and insurrectionists.'
Extraordinary vision captured the moment these rioters set fire to the Waymos and celebrated the carnage by dancing on the roof of cars and waving Mexican flags high above the flames. 'Burn, burn, burn,' the protesters cheered. At least five Waymo self-driving cars were set alight and vandalized, prompting an indefinite shutdown of Los Angeles St north of Arcadia, and south of Alameda amid safety concerns about the lithium batteries. 'Burning lithium-ion batteries release toxic gases, including hydrogen fluoride, posing risks to responders and those nearby,' authorities said.
One protester repeatedly smashed the driver side window of a Waymo which had been surrounded by demonstrators as flames engulfed another car nearby. Waymo has now halted all services in and around the under-siege protest areas in an effort to protect the remainder of the fleet. Each self driving robotaxi is estimated to be worth about $150,000. Earlier in the evening authorities faced an uphill battle to contain violence on the 101 Freeway, where more than 2,000 protesters commandeered northbound and southbound traffic, grinding motorists to a complete halt as they marched with flags and signs high above their heads. Motorists stuck on the unmoving freeway were instructed to turn around in an effort to clear the traffic, as even more rioters gathered on overpasses and ramps.
The freeway was briefly reopened but authorities had to shut it down once again as demonstrators began tossing missiles off the overpass and damaging cars below. Independent journalist Cam Higby claimed demonstrators were setting tinder alight and firing rocks from the overpass, aiming at police patrol vehicles as they passed by. In nearby Alameda and Temple, arrests are now underway as officers report 'people in the crowd are throwing concrete, bottles and other objects.' At least two officers were injured after motorcyclists ploughed through rioters and ran straight over the top of authorities. Both of the riders have been detained by police as the officers are treated by medical personnel on the scene. Elsewhere, officers were reportedly struck by fireworks as they worked to break up a violent crowd, while protesters were filmed brandishing 3D creations of Trump's severed head on a pole.
At the Los Angeles City Hall, authorities on horseback were locked in a tense standoff with even more demonstrators, sparking fears from local law enforcement officers that they were in for a 'rough night.' Further arrests have been made throughout the Civic Center area of Downtown LA. Protesters gathered outside the Metropolitan Detention Center were warned that the LAPD incident commander had approved the use of 'less lethal munitions' to break up the crowd. This came as authorities declared the area an 'unlawful assembly' and warned any protester who chose to stay would be subject to arrest. The LAPD began issuing rolling dispersal orders and declaring some of the protests acts of 'unlawful assembly' as violence ramped up on Sunday afternoon. Protesters within regions now under a dispersal order have been warned to evacuate now or face arrest. Demonstrations even reached the upscale AC Hotel Pasadena by Sunday afternoon after the arrival of emergency vehicles.
While that protest had not descended into violence, those who had gathered chanted 'ICE is not welcome here' and blasted songs in Spanish in a display of solidarity. At the site of another dispersal order near Temple Street and Main Street, demonstrators are 'using chairs, garbage bins and other items to blockade the street.' Authorities issued a separate warning that the city has been placed on 'tactical alert', meaning all of the department's officers are now on notice that they could be called up for service at any given moment. Officers who are already on duty are not allowed to end their shift until they have been relieved by their commanders, and residents of Los Angeles are warned that low priority calls may go unanswered while the alert is ongoing. These officers will now join the 2,000 California National Guard troops Trump earlier deployed to Los Angeles to quell the protests, which he called 'a form of rebellion.' Trump issued an extraordinary directive on Sunday vowing to 'liberate Los Angeles' from illegal aliens which have 'invaded and occupied a once great American city.'
A combined effort led by Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth , and Attorney General Pam Bondi will restore order, Trump said. He has directed his key personnel to 'to take all such action necessary to liberate Los Angeles from the Migrant Invasion, and put an end to these Migrant riots. 'Order will be restored, the Illegals will be expelled, and Los Angeles will be set free,' Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday afternoon. Trump lamented the current state of the city, expressing concern that 'a once great American City, Los Angeles, has been invaded and occupied by Illegal Aliens and Criminals. 'Now violent, insurrectionist mobs are swarming and attacking our Federal Agents to try and stop our deportation operations.' But he vowed 'these lawless riots only strengthen our resolve' as images emerge of troops on the ground in the downtown area of the city ready to defend the city from more violent demonstrations. The president congratulated the National Guard on doing a 'great job' in the city in the early hours of Sunday morning, although they hadn't arrived yet.
But Governor Newsom shared a very different perspective just hours later, revealing he has urged Trump to 'rescind the order [and] return control to California.' 'We didn't have a problem until Trump got involved,' Newsom said in his extraordinary rebuke. 'This is a serious breach of state sovereignty — inflaming tensions while pulling resources from where they're actually needed. 'These are the acts of a dictator, not a President.' Mayor Karen Bass echoed those statements, telling CNN: 'This sows chaos that is not warranted nor needed in the city of Los Angeles. 'It's as though troops were rolled out in a provocative manner and I do not see how that is helpful to Los Angeles right now, it's not the type of resources that we need in the city. 'We do not need to have our city under siege.' Former Vice President Kamala Harris joined in on the Democrat pile-on on Sunday, denouncing the ICE raids which sparked the civil unrest. 'Deploying the National Guard is a dangerous escalation meant to provoke chaos,' Harris wrote in a statement on X. 'In addition to the recent ICE raids in Southern California and across our nation, it is part of the Trump Administration's cruel, calculated agenda to spread panic and division.'
Early Sunday, the violence was limited to a small area in downtown Los Angeles, with the rest of the city of 4 million people largely unaffected. Since then, pockets of protests have began popping up in broader parts of the community. The arrival of the National Guard and federal reinforcements follows days of protests that began Friday in downtown Los Angeles before spreading on Saturday to Paramount and neighboring Compton. Hegseth had warned on Saturday that 'active duty Marines' were on 'high alert' as the riots created havoc on the streets. On Sunday, Noem said the National Guard would 'keep peace and allow people to be able to protest but also to keep law and order.' The troops included members of the 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, according to a social media post from the Department of Defense that showed dozens of National Guard members with long guns and an armored vehicle. Governor Newsom called Trump on Friday night and they spoke for about 40 minutes, according to the governor´s office. It was not clear if they spoke Saturday or Sunday. Newsom described Trump's decision to call in the National Guard as a 'provocative show of force' that would only escalate tensions. He added that Hegseth's threat to deploy Marines on American soil was 'deranged behavior.'
Rioters have also been warned that the use of non-lethal munitions has been authorized to maintain order, prompting a warning from the LAPD urging people to 'leave the area' to avoid the 'pain and discomfort' such weapons can bring. But the escalation comes in response to rioters using flaming projectiles and throwing rocks at authorities, as they set fire to cars in their path of destruction. They were met by federal agents in riot gear and gas masks. The mob was warned to leave in both Spanish and English. Tear gas and smoke filled the air as confrontations between immigration authorities and demonstrators extended into a third day. These riots were set against the backdrop of Trump's latest immigration raid, targeting the safe haven of Los Angeles on Friday.
DHS said in a statement that the recent ICE operations resulted in the arrest of 118 immigrants. Trump's border czar Tom Homan said those arrested included child sexual offenders, gang members and national security threats. 'They arrested a lot of bad people yesterday and today,' Homan asserted. 'We're making Los Angeles safer.' Homan also remarked that ICE agents were often wearing masks as they conducted raids because they were worried about their families being doxxed. By Saturday night federal agents reported having arrested more than a dozen 'agitators who impeded agents in their ability to conduct law enforcement operations.