LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said a curfew that began Tuesday for parts of downtown Los Angeles will remain in effect through the weekend as authorities prepare for numbers of large-scale protests, reports CNN.
The LAPD Chief made the remark yesterday while addressing a press conference.
Officials said those public events are expected to include demonstrators protesting against the Trump administration’s immigration policies, as well as against the president’s military parade tonight in Washington, DC.
LA County Sheriff Robert Luna said local authorities were aware of at least 30 planned demonstrations that could require law enforcement resources.
McDonnell said local law enforcement agencies were “fully prepared” to quell any potential violence in the days ahead, after a week of protests in the city that have at times turned violent and resulted in injuries to officers.
“We will not allow violence, vandalism, or threats to public safety to undermine the rights of those who are demonstrating lawfully,” the chief said.
Statewide, authorities are aware of at least 200 planned weekend protests, according to California Highway Patrol Deputy Commissioner Ezery Beauchamp.
ATF probing fires: A specialized team of federal arson investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has been deployed to LA to investigate fires set during recent unrest, ATF said yesterday.
The bureau said it was investigating blazes set to “several law enforcement and self-driving vehicles,” as well as damage to the LAPD headquarters.
Video taken in downtown LA on Sunday showed some destruction at the headquarters and multiple Waymo vehicles set on fire.
“The cause of these fires is quite obvious,” ATF Special Agent in Charge Kenneth Cooper said in a statement. “The task at hand now is to determine who is responsible.”
Bd-Pratidin English/ AM
