Los Angeles police arrested hundreds of protesters
Earlier tonight, police in Los Angeles began arresting a small group of protesters outside the mayor’s residence, hours after curfew.
Many of the protesters were still sitting on the ground, with their hands up together, chanting “Peaceful protest,” said CNN Correspondent Kyung Lah on the scene.
“One by one, you see two officers move forward. You can see the two officers move forward, lean down, ask the protester to stand up, turn around, put their hands behind them, and then they’re led away,” Lah said.
As the protesters were led away, the remaining crowd sitting on the ground cheered for them. The arrested protesters were then lined up against a wall, where they gave the police their information and were bused out to be further processed elsewhere, said Lah.
Compared to the scuffles and arrests taking place in other parts of the country, this scene was remarkably calm and orderly — in line with the peaceful tone of the protests all day.
“We’ve been out here for hours with these protesters. It has been incredibly peaceful. We haven’t seen any signs in the main protest group of any looting. There was a couple reports of looting but they did not appear to be with these protest groups,” Lah said.
“They have been supportive of one another. People in the apartments and the houses that they’ve walked by have run out to give them water, encouraging them to keep going.”
Hundreds arrested: The Los Angeles Police Department have arrested hundreds of protesters, said spokesperson Tony Im.
The protests took place in different parts of the city and county today, including Hollywood, Downtown Los Angeles, and the residential neighborhood of Hancock Park, where Mayor Eric Garcetti resides.
