Officials at the Los Angeles Police Department said Monday that despite violent demonstrations, local police can handle whatever protesters throw at them and that additional federal help is unnecessary and could become a hindrance.
“The possible arrival of federal military forces in Los Angeles – absent clear coordination – presents a significant logistical and operational challenge for those of us charged with safeguarding this city,” Police Chief Jim McDonnell said in a statement. “The Los Angeles Police Department, alongside our mutual aid partners, have decades of experience managing large-scale public demonstrations, and we remain confident in our ability to do so professionally and effectively.”
McDonnell’s statement comes amid the administration of President Donald Trump saying that the city is out of control.
“Due to increased threats to federal law enforcement officers and federal buildings, approximately 700 active-duty U.S. Marines . . . are being deployed to Los Angeles to restore order,” Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said in a post on X.
“We have an obligation to defend federal law enforcement officers – even if Gavin Newsom will not,” Hegseth said of the California governor.
In addition to the 700 Marines, a Pentagon spokesperson said 2,000 National Guardsmen were ordered to Los Angeles. Trump already ordered 2,000 guardsmen to the city.
LAPD has admitted that things have gotten hectic. Officers have fired over 600 non-lethal bullets and made 50 arrests.
On Saturday, LAPD said 29 people were arrested for failing to follow orders to disperse. 21 people were arrested Sunday. Charges against them included attempted murder with a Molotov cocktail and assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer, LAPD said.
Police said officers used tear gas on the “hostile crowd” as well as over 600 rounds of non-lethal bullets. Among those hit was an Australian journalist covering the protests.
But the office of Governor Gavin Newsom has said that Trump’s move to put National Guardsmen and Marines in Los Angeles has provoked the worst of the unrest.
Newsom announced Monday that an additional 800 state and local police officers would be deployed to Los Angeles to handle confrontations between protestors and national guardsmen that were sent in “illegally,” according to the governor’s office.
Karen Bass, LA’s mayor, backed Newsom: “While Washington choreographed these chaotic events, the LAPD and local law enforcement continue to effectively respond.”
At least five Los Angeles Police officers received minor injuries, according to LAPD. Five police horses also “were targeted and sustained minor injuries.”
Police said protest groups used handheld radios “to coordinate and evade law enforcement.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What is LAPD saying about the protests?
The post LAPD says they can handle the protests appeared first on USA TODAY.
