LAPD officer Decote watches for people tossing debris from tall buildings as dozens of protesters are arrested for curfew violations on Broadway on Tuesday.
After days of looting and vandalism and a barrage of criticism for failing to stop it, Los Angeles police have significantly increased their presence in affected neighborhoods and deployed more aggressive tactics to arrest those responsible for burglarizing businesses.
Police also have enforced overnight curfews to sweep streets clear in startling, militaristic shows of force, at times without any apparent effort to distinguish between passive bystanders and those engaged in crime.
“When violence escalates, including assaults on officers, arson, widespread looting ... the department needs to resort to a stronger message,” LAPD Chief Michel Moore told the civilian Police Commission on Tuesday.
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“We are not going to stand for looting,” said Asst. Chief Robert Arcos, in a separate interview. “We are doing all we can to make arrests immediately.”
The shift in strategy, as witnessed by those who have broken curfews in recent nights, contrasts with what was seen earlier in the weekend, when officers allowed looting downtown and in the Fairfax area to go unchecked for hours as they squared off with protesters.
The new approach has been hard to miss, with officers in riot gear chasing down looters with their arms full of merchandise as protesters and neighborhood residents rushed to avoid the fray. But only time will tell whether the crackdown reduces the amount of looting.
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A protester dances on top of Donald Trump’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame during a demonstration by members of Refuse Fascism who are calling an end to the Trump administration on June 20, 2020. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Deborah Jay Winams cries after singing a song at a Black Lives Matter Los Angeles rally to call for justice in the fatal shooting of Kenneth Ross Jr. by Gardena police in 2018. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)
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People participate in the All Black Lives Matter march in West Hollywood on Sunday, June 14. Thousands of demonstrators marched for racial justice and LGBTQ rights. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
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A protester waves a rainbow flag on Sunset Boulevard during the All Black Lives Matter march on Sunday. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
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Thousands hold up signs and march in the All Black Lives Matter solidarity protest on Hollywood Boulevard. The procession started at Hollywood and Highland and moved into West Hollywood. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
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Jason De Puy of West Hollywood wears a mask that reads “Black Trans Lives Matter” as people fill Hollywood Boulevard during a solidarity march called All Black Lives Matter on Sunday, June 14. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
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Protesters hold up signs at the All Black Lives Matter march, which was organized by Black LGBTQ leaders and organizations in place of a previously planned event by the group behind LA Pride. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
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Protesters march, raising fists and signs in the air, on La Brea Avenue in Hollywood on Sunday. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
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The Compton Cowboys ride horseback down South Tamarind Avenue, joining thousand of protesters Sunday during the Compton peace ride, which ended at City Hall. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)
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Houston Rockets star Russell Westbrook speaks to the crowd of protesters and the Compton Cowboys at the end of a peace walk at Compton City Hall on Sunday. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Elijah Estrada, 6, holds up his fist for 8:46, the length of time George Floyd was held down by Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin, at the conclusion of a peace ride and walk with the Compton Cowboys at Compton City Hall on Sunday. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)
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A family member of Breonna Taylor, right, is hugged by another woman after speaking to protesters in Beverly Hills Saturday. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)
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A woman tries to get between Black Lives Matter protesters and pro-Trump counter protesters during a demonstration at the intersection of Main Street and Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach on Saturday. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)
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Los Angeles Police Deputy Chief Regina Scott takes knee next to Johnathan Jasper, brother of slain teen Anthony Weber, during a rally in front of LA City Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson’s office Saturday. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
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A protester yells in front of a Black Lives Matter mural with the names of victims on Fairfax Ave. during a march Saturday. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)
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David Blackgold hugs Huntington Beach police officer K. Wood during a Black Lives Matter protest in Huntington Beach Saturday. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)
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A National Guardsman holds a rose given to him by a protester along Fairfax Ave. during a march Saturday. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)
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A Black Lives Matter protester blows bubbles by a police line in Huntington Beach on Saturday. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)
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A protester lies on the ground under his horse with his hands behind his back as demonstrators including some on horseback rally in front of LA City Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson’s office in Los Angeles Saturday. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
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Tempers flare between Black Lives Matter demonstratiors and pro-Trump counterprotesters in Huntington Beach on Saturday. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)
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Black Lives Matter demonstrators raise clenched fist in Huntington Beach on Saturday. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)
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Mek Bitul held up a sign with the words, “This Is The Tipping Point!!!” in front of City Hall, joining nearly 1,000 people gathered to protest the death of George Floyd and in support of Black Lives Matter, in downtown Los Angeles. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)
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Katyana DeCampos, a citizen of France visiting California, marched with a sign with the words “Anti Racism,” joining nearly 1,000 people gathered to protest the death of George Floyd and in support of Black Lives Matter, in downtown Los Angeles. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)
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Zoe Perkins, 4, of Glendale and her mother brought flowers to the Hall of Justice in downtown Los Angeles to protest the death of George Floyd. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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LAPD Chief Michel Moore, left, talks with community leaders outside police headquarters after a candlelight vigil for George Floyd on Friday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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A man lays a rose at the Hall of Justice in downtown Los Angeles. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Braydon Deauce White, 4, fist-bumps a National Guardsman at LAPD headquarters Thursday morning. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Allison Bracy of Fontana hugs daughter Brielle Bracy, 10, while attending a rally in Riverside on Thursday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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A protester drapes himself with a flag during a demonstration in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
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Gustavo R. Ramirez of Pomona kneels in front of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. statue in Riverside. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Protesters at Moonlight State Beach in Encinitas. (Gabriella Angotti-Jones / Los Angeles Times)
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Crowds gather in downtown L.A. to protest the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. At 9 p.m., for exactly 8 minutes and 46 seconds, protesters shone lights into the sky. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
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Protesters dance on Spring Street in downtown Los Angeles as a march attracted thousands of people. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
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Thousands of protesters gather at the Los Angeles Civic Center. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
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Thousands of protesters gather at the Los Angeles Civic Center. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
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Thousands of protesters gather at the Los Angeles Civic Center. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)
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Stephen Chang, 32, left, of Silver Lake, with an American flag draped over his head, joins other demonstrators at the intersection of Spring and Temple streets in downtown Los Angeles, as they protest against L.A. Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey and also demand justice in the death of George Floyd. (Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times)
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Miles Miles, 8, left, and Memphis Miley, 6, center, of Newport Beach, join protest against racism in Newport Beach. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
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Protester Vailing high-fives National Guardsmen as they march through Hollywood to demand justice for the killing of George Floyd in Hollywood. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)
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Protesters march through a residential neighborhood in Hollywood. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)
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Protesters walk through a residential neighborhood in Hollywood. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)
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A L.A. Sheriff’s deputy watches as protester Annik Chung holds a sign while cheering on marchers along La Brea Ave. in Hollywood. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)
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Mustafa-Ali, 27, from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, joins other demonstrators as they protest on Spring St. in downtown Los Angeles. (Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times)
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Paul Villalobos, 28, from Oakland, joins other demonstrators as they protest on Spring St. in downtown Los Angeles. (Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times)
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A huge crowd gathers in downtown Los Angeles to protest the death of George Floyd and in support of Black Lives Matter. (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times)
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Protestors march through downtown Los Angeles. (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times)
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Protestors march through downtown Los Angeles. (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times)
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Protestors march through downtown Los Angeles. (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times)
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Riverside County Sheriff Lt Chris Durham tries to calm nerves after hundreds of demonstrators that marched to the police station protest the death of George Floyd in Moreno Valley. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
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In a sign of peace, protesters reach out to Riverside County Sheriff deputies, who were there to enforce an 8pm curfew during a demonstration to protest the death of George Floyd’s in Moreno Valley. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
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Hundreds of demonstrators block traffic as they march down both sides of Balboa Blvd. to protest against racism in Newport Beach. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
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Protesters march through West Hollywood to demand justice for the killing of George Floyd during march on Wednesday. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)
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Protesters march through West Hollywood to demand justice for the killing of George Floyd during march on Wednesday. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)
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Protestors rally on the steps Anaheim City Hall steps against last week’s in-custody death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)
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Protestors rally on the steps Anaheim City Hall steps against last week’s in-custody death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)
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Protestors rally on the steps Anaheim City Hall steps against last week’s in-custody death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)
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Protestors rally on the steps Anaheim City Hall steps against last week’s in-custody death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)
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Bando Kev prays along Hollywood Blvd. in front of the National Guard and near TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)
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A couple promote peace on Highland Ave. in Hollywood as protesters continue to demonstrate. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)
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Makenzie Anderson, 2, rides on her father, Shawn’s shoulders as they join hundreds of protesters marching throughout downtown. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
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Marcus Owen, yells out chants for George Floyd as hundreds of protesters gather outside City Hall in a daylong protest. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
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Hussain Sharif, left, Mari Drake, and Thomas Rosado chant as they ride along with hundreds of protesters at a downtown demonstration. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
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Hundreds of protesters march throughout downtown ending with many arrested for curfew violations. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
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“Hands up. Don’t shoot,” say hundreds participating in a march against the of George Floyd on Abbot Kinney Blvd. in Venice onTuesday. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
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Members of the California National Guard flash peace signs after protesters had marched by in support of Black Lives Matter in Venice. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
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Protesters shoot hoops while taking a break from marching against the death of George Floyd by police on Abbot Kinney Blvd. in Venice on Tuesday. The basketball hoop was attached to the front of a bus that followed the protest for a while. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
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Several hundred protesters take a knee and hold their fists in the air during a moment of silence to honor George Floyd during a peaceful protest march from Manhattan Beach to Hermosa Beach. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
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A woman stands next to an image of George Floyd as hundreds participate in a march against the in-custody death of Floyd in Venice. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
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Terrence Burney, 36, left, and Commander of the LAPD Operation West Bureau Cory Palka, right, talk together peacefully in front of Getty House in Hancock Park. (Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times)
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Protestors gather outside Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Hancock Park house as they continue to demonstrate against police brutality. (Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times)
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Jessica Jordan takes a knee as she joins other protesters at Sunset & Vine in Hollywood on Tuesday. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
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A young woman reacts to a group chant, while gathered with a couple hundred people to protest the death of George Floyd and in support of Black Lives Matter, near the Manhattan Beach Pier. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)
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Jayse Garcia, 27, of Los Angeles takes part in a demonstration in Hollywood. (Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times)
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Protesters sit in front of National Guardsmen closing Sunset Blvd at Vine Street in Hollywood. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
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Mira Ercingoz,16, from Palos Verdes, center in red hat, holds a poster with an image of George Floyd alongside protesters in Manhattan Beach. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)
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Demonstrators take a knee during protests in Hollywood on Tuesday. (Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times)
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A mother and daughter pass protestors in Hollywood. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
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Several hundred protesters gather to demand justice for George Floyd at the Manhattan Beach Pier Plaza Tuesday. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
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Janie Hill,15, from Lawndale, receives a hug from a friend, following an emotional discussion with a Manhattan Beach Police officer, at the conclusion of a protest in Manhattan Beach. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)
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LAPD Cmdr. Gerald Woodyard takes a knee with clergy members from the Los Angeles area as they participate in a march and demonstration outside LAPD headquarters in Los Angeles. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
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L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti walks out to address protesters and clergy members outside LAPD headquarters on Tuesday. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
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Several hundred protesters take a knee and hold their fists in the air during a moment of silence to honor George Floyd during a peaceful protest march from Manhattan Beach to Hermosa Beach. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
One thing is clear: It’s contributed to an ongoing surge in nightly arrests.
Since Friday, nearly 3,000 people in Southern California have found themselves in handcuffs amid the protests of the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the use of excessive force by police against black people across the country.
The bulk of those arrests have taken place in Los Angeles, where authorities took about 2,500 people into custody between Friday and Tuesday morning after a mix of peaceful protests and property destruction in downtown, the Fairfax District, Van Nuys and Hollywood.
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Given the department had confirmed upwards of 1,600 arrests had taken place over the weekend, that suggested more than 800 people were arrested Monday night, the most yet for a single night of unrest.
A look at how police nationwide have responded to protesters.
June 2, 2020
Santa Monica and Long Beach police arrested an additional 475 people during largely peaceful protests that were also overshadowed by looting on Sunday.
Booking records reviewed by The Times show the vast majority of those arrested in Los Angeles County for looting, vandalism and burglary offenses are from here, seeming to refute perceptions of “outside agitators” coming in to fuel unrest.
Police leaders say their more aggressive tactics in recent nights were made possible by the National Guard’s presence and the LAPD’s decision to mobilize its entire force, giving them more manpower. They also say the shift has prevented what would have been much wider damage and reduced the danger posed to surrounding residents and business owners.
The get-tough tactics have been demanded by many residents and merchants, who said they were shocked at watching unchecked looting both in person and on live television without police anywhere in sight.
Anastasia Azaryan, 39, on Tuesday was painting the words “we are open” along with her family restaurant’s phone number in big lilac letters on the wooden boards covering the front of Kebab and Pizza Time in Van Nuys.
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Her business was looted Monday. She said a protest nearby started peacefully. Some people had come to her asking if they could have drinks.
“Are you a protester?” She asked. When they said yes, she allowed them to take free drinks from her fridge.
But then, the situation became more aggressive. A group took almost her entire inventory. Others then shoved and smashed tables and chairs.
She delivered five boxes of her hamburgers to police officers in Van Nuys and North Hollywood and returned to the restaurant to paint her sign.
“The police did excellent job,” she said. “We are all proud of them.”
Protesters, however, have alleged widespread abuses and wrongful detentions.
Kath Rogers, executive director of the National Lawyers Guild in L.A., said her office had received 110 requests for legal assistance from people arrested since Friday, with many claiming police were unprepared to process the number of people they were putting in handcuffs for violations of dispersal and curfew orders.
People complained of being held in “flex cuffs” or left on buses for up to six hours at a time, only to be cited and released for minor violations, Rogers said. Some said they had not heard a dispersal order or were unaware of curfews that had been hastily announced late in the day.
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“One arrestee told us they were thrown to the ground and kicked in the head. Many said they were hit by rubber bullets,” Rogers said. “Some people have specified that despite no violence or instigation by the protesters …. they were struck by batons.”
In one incident that was aired live on Instagram and went viral online, a person walking down Hollywood Boulevard filming looters late Monday was suddenly confronted by armed officers with their guns drawn.
“Get on the ground!” the officers screamed.
“I’m sorry, I swear. I swear I didn’t do anything,” said the person filming.
“Shut the f--- up,” screamed an officer. “Don’t f---ing move … Hands behind your back!”
“I swear I didn’t do anything. I swear. I’m not … I’m just letting you know because I’m scared,” said the person filming, dropping to the ground at gunpoint.
On the officer’s radio came the voice of a commander: “Units on Hollywood Boulevard, you should not be driving past anyone. Stop where you are and take someone into custody.”
The person, streaming again from home later, said they were eventually given a citation.
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Attorneys, legal observers and some of those arrested in Santa Monica over the weekend decried the tactics of responding officers, who they say seemed more focused on rounding up peaceful protesters than disrupting those looting or damaging buildings.
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Steve Doaty, 22, said he traveled from Woodland Hills to Santa Monica to take part in peaceful demonstrations on Sunday. But he and a group of about 30 demonstrators said they found themselves surrounded by police at 6th Street & Colorado Avenue, where Doaty says there were looters damaging property nearby.
“I pointed at the rioting and I pointed at the looting and I said, ‘Hey, what are you gonna do about this?’ And they said nothing,” Doaty said of the officers.
Doaty said he never heard a dispersal order and was unaware of the county’s hastily ordered 6 p.m. curfew. Doaty says he was arrested for a curfew violation, but never read his Miranda rights. He was placed on a bus and taken to the Santa Monica airport, where he said he was held for almost three hours before being released. The police had taken his wallet, phone and keys, but a police officer told Doaty he would have to pick them up at Santa Monica police headquarters the next day.
Santa Monica police did not respond to repeated calls and emails seeking comment.
Police officials across the region have released only general information about who was arrested, and why. The Times has requested specific information about arrests from each city where looting and protests have occurred, and received only a partial response from the LAPD. Long Beach officials promised to provide information “shortly.”
A review of booking records available to The Times shows 575 people have been arrested between Friday and Tuesday on suspicion of crimes likely related to violence during the protests — including looting, robbery, vandalism, burglary and attacking police.
The records do not provide figures for people arrested on curfew violations or for failing to disperse, meaning those arrestees were cited and released by police on the same day.
In addition to crimes like looting, Moore said the department will investigate every complaint of police misconduct. Already, internal affairs officers are working around the clock.
James Queally writes about crime and policing in Southern California, where he currently covers Los Angeles County’s criminal courts, the district attorney’s office and juvenile justice issues for the Los Angeles Times.
Kevin Rector is a legal affairs reporter for the Los Angeles Times covering the California Supreme Court, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and other legal trends and issues. He started with The Times in 2020 and previously covered the Los Angeles Police Department for the paper. Before that, Rector worked at the Baltimore Sun for eight years, where he was a police and investigative reporter and part of a team that won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize in local reporting. He is from Maryland.
Alejandra Reyes-Velarde is a Metro reporter for the Los Angeles Times. Previously she wrote for the San Francisco Business Times and the Sacramento Bee. A UCLA graduate, she is originally from Duarte, Calif., and is a native Spanish speaker.
Richard Winton is an investigative crime writer for the Los Angeles Times and part of the team that won the Pulitzer Prize for public service in 2011. Known as @lacrimes on Twitter, during almost 30 years at The Times he also has been part of the breaking news staff that won Pulitzers in 1998, 2004 and 2016.
