Latest news with #JimMcDonnell
CBS News
24-06-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
LAPD chief defends department actions during recent Los Angeles protests
The Los Angeles Police Department chief issued a written statement, defending the department's response to recent protests stemming from immigration enforcement that began in Los Angeles County a few weeks ago. In his statement, Chief Jim McDonnell started by acknowledging "fear and pain" within the community related to federal enforcement, but said peaceful expression opposing the actions, "has at times been hijacked by violence, vandalism, and criminal aggression." Protests began after several daytime June 6 immigration raids took place in the Westlake District, downtown and South LA. Crowds formed, and protesters attempted to prevent federal agents from detaining people. Protests continued for days in Los Angeles, leading to the deployment of National Guard and U.S. Marines troops by President Trump. McDonnell clarified on June 6 that the LAPD was not assisting federal agents with immigration enforcement. "While the LAPD will continue to have a visible presence in all our communities to ensure public safety, we will not assist or participate in any sort of mass deportations, nor will the LAPD try to determine an individual's immigration status," he said in a statement. As downtown L.A. demonstrations continued to escalate into violence, Mayor Karen Bass implemented a curfew, starting on June 10, from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Police issued dispersal orders to enforce the curfew for the downtown one-square-mile area, which remained in effect for one week, until June 17. McDonnell wrote that officers faced dangerous, fluid, and violent conditions "when demonstrators began throwing objects, setting fires, and refusing to disperse after repeated lawful orders were given." He defended the officers saying they were "justified in taking swift and measured action to prevent further harm and restore public safety." Part of the action taken by police officers included less-lethal tools, such as "40mm foam rounds and chemical agents." The chief said that in all, 52 officers were injured and needed medical treatment after responding to protests. "Commercial-grade fireworks that could kill were launched directly at them. Bottles, bricks, and projectiles were hurled at their heads and bodies, in addition to incendiary devices and Molotov cocktails. A motorcycle was weaponized and deliberately driven into a police skirmish line," McDonnell wrote. The chief acknowledged that some have questioned the department's tactics. He wrote that "the department was in contact with city leaders and operated within a unified command structure alongside multiple local and regional agencies, including the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and the California Highway Patrol." McDonnell wrote that the dispersal orders met legal standards, with every effort made to ensure they were heard. "Orders are given in both English and Spanish and are delivered using ground-level amplified systems or, when necessary, by helicopter," he wrote. "If there are gaps in how these orders were heard, we will address them. But the claim that orders were not given simply because they weren't heard by all is misleading and ignores the realities of large, loud, and often chaotic crowds." McDonnell wrote that any injury incurred during the protests is a cause for concern and review. "A comprehensive evaluation of each use-of-force incident, including a full independent investigation by the Office of Inspector General is underway." Last week, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced that at least 30 people have been charged with various crimes in connection with recent protests. Hochman said that while hundreds have been arrested in the city of Los Angeles for curfew violations and failure to disperse orders since the onset of the protests, others face more serious charges such as assault on a peace officer and felony arson and vandalism.
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
LAPD chief defends police tactics during protests: 'Swift and measured action'
Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell defended his department's handling of recent protests, saying officers acted appropriately to quell unrest — pushing back against criticism about aggressive crowd control tactics used during demonstrations against President Trump's immigration crackdown. McDonnell said in a statement released Monday that the department would conduct a "comprehensive evaluation of each use-of-force incident." The chief said the LAPD wouldn't shy away from scrutiny — and would take action against any officer "who has fallen short" of the department's standards. The statement referenced a Times article published over the weekend that included accounts from protesters injured by LAPD officers who fired hard foam projectiles and other so-called less-lethal munitions. The conduct of police units mounted on horseback during the protests has also faced scrutiny after video footage showed people being trampled and hit with batons. Read more: How the LAPD's protest response once again triggered outrage, injuries and lawsuits McDonnell, who has repeatedly declined interview requests, said the story "contains serious accusations, and I do not take them lightly." He said what was missing from the public narrative was the "dangerous, fluid and ultimately violent conditions our officers encountered." While the protests have "most often been marked by peaceful expression," he said, at times they have been "hijacked by violence, vandalism, and criminal aggression." "When demonstrators began throwing objects, setting fires, and refusing to disperse after repeated lawful orders were given, officers were justified in taking swift and measured action to prevent further harm and restore public safety," McDonnell said. The chief's statement cited numerous "documented" cases in which officers were "violently attacked" with bottles, bricks, Molotov cocktails and commercial-grade fireworks. Fifty-two officers suffered injuries that required medical treatment, he said. The department's critics, he said, were using "edited video clips or anecdotal accounts as definitive evidence of misconduct." McDonnell disputed the allegation that officers failed to give dispersal orders before firing hard-foam projectiles or tear gas, saying demonstrators were given notice to leave in both English and Spanish — "using ground-level amplified systems or, when necessary, by helicopter." He also denied officers used force indiscriminately, saying actions against protesters were "targeted, proportional, and made in direct response to immediate, credible threats." But numerous eyewitness accounts from protesters — along with several video clips that have gone viral online in recent weeks — raise questions about whether LAPD officers used force on people who posed no threat. After paying out millions over the last decade for protest-related lawsuits, the department again likely faces a wave of civil litigation by plaintiffs alleging excessive force. A coalition of press rights organizations filed a lawsuit earlier this month that described journalists being shot with less-lethal police rounds, tear-gassed and detained without cause by LAPD officers during the protests. Read more: Press groups sue LAPD over use of force against journalists during protests John Burton, an attorney who is representing three injured protesters — including one whose testicle was ruptured by a foam projectile — said that video footage from the demonstrations shows officers routinely flouting state regulations that govern crowd control tactics. "Have these people learned nothing?" Burton said. "We went through this with George Floyd and how many times before." Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
LAPD chief defends police tactics during protests: ‘Swift and measured action'
Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell defended his department's handling of recent protests, saying officers acted appropriately to quell unrest — pushing back against criticism about aggressive crowd control tactics used during demonstrations against President Trump's immigration crackdown. McDonnell said in a statement released Monday that the department would conduct a 'comprehensive evaluation of each use-of-force incident.' The chief said the LAPD wouldn't shy away from scrutiny — and would take action against any officer 'who has fallen short' of the department's standards. The statement referenced a Times article published over the weekend that included accounts from protesters injured by LAPD officers who fired hard foam projectiles and other so-called less-lethal munitions. The conduct of police units mounted on horseback during the protests has also faced scrutiny after video footage showed people being trampled and hit with batons. McDonnell, who has repeatedly declined interview requests, said the story 'contains serious accusations, and I do not take them lightly.' He said what was missing from the public narrative was the 'dangerous, fluid and ultimately violent conditions our officers encountered.' While the protests have 'most often been marked by peaceful expression,' he said, at times they have been 'hijacked by violence, vandalism, and criminal aggression.' 'When demonstrators began throwing objects, setting fires, and refusing to disperse after repeated lawful orders were given, officers were justified in taking swift and measured action to prevent further harm and restore public safety,' McDonnell said. The chief's statement cited numerous 'documented' cases in which officers were 'violently attacked' with bottles, bricks, Molotov cocktails and commercial-grade fireworks. Fifty-two officers suffered injuries that required medical treatment, he said. The department's critics, he said, were using 'edited video clips or anecdotal accounts as definitive evidence of misconduct.' McDonnell disputed the allegation that officers failed to give dispersal orders before firing hard-foam projectiles or tear gas, saying demonstrators were given notice to leave in both English and Spanish — 'using ground-level amplified systems or, when necessary, by helicopter.' He also denied officers used force indiscriminately, saying actions against protesters were 'targeted, proportional, and made in direct response to immediate, credible threats.' But numerous eyewitness accounts from protesters — along with several video clips that have gone viral online in recent weeks — raise questions about whether LAPD officers used force on people who posed no threat. After paying out millions over the last decade for protest-related lawsuits, the department again likely faces a wave of civil litigation by plaintiffs alleging excessive force. A coalition of press rights organizations filed a lawsuit earlier this month that described journalists being shot with less-lethal police rounds, tear-gassed and detained without cause by LAPD officers during the protests. John Burton, an attorney who is representing three injured protesters — including one whose testicle was ruptured by a foam projectile — said that video footage from the demonstrations shows officers routinely flouting state regulations that govern crowd control tactics. 'Have these people learned nothing?' Burton said. 'We went through this with George Floyd and how many times before.'
USA Today
17-06-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
LAPD sued over journalists' treatment at Los Angeles immigration protests
LAPD sued over journalists' treatment at Los Angeles immigration protests The lawsuit accused police of using 'excessive force' against members of the media and making journalism a 'dangerous profession' in the city. Show Caption Hide Caption Australian journalist shot with a rubber bullet in Los Angeles Australian journalist from 9News, Lauren Tomasi, was shot with a rubber bullet while reporting from the protests in Los Angeles. The June 16 lawsuit in federal court in Los Angeles accuses the LAPD of using "excessive force" against the media. The lawsuit said police violated press rights under both California and federal law. The First Amendment Coalition is leading the lawsuit on behalf of the Los Angeles Press Club and the independent media outlet Status Coup. A First Amendment group representing journalists covering protests over immigration raids in Los Angeles sued the city and Los Angeles Police Department on June 16, alleging that officers violated press rights under both state and federal law. The First Amendment Coalition filed the federal lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California on behalf of the Los Angeles Press Club and the independent media outlet Status Coup. The complaint against the city and LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell accused police officers of using 'excessive force' against members of the media and making journalism a 'dangerous profession' in the city. "The widespread use of force against journalists by LAPD officers indicates an intent to prevent public scrutiny of police conduct toward demonstrators, a refusal to abide by constitutional and statutory safeguards for journalists in these circumstances, and an institutional failure by the LAPD," the lawsuit said. It came a week after the groups sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that said federal officers in Los Angeles 'may have violated the First Amendment rights' of journalists. The letter said federal officers are required to uphold the freedom of the press under the First Amendment and referenced court cases that affirmed individuals' right to record law enforcement officers executing their duties in public places and journalists' exemption from general dispersal orders so long as they are not interfering with law enforcement actions. The Los Angeles Press Club had at that point documented at least 30 cases of journalists being injured while covering the protests. Several of those incidents were caught on camera. New York Post photographer Toby Canham was shot in the head with a rubber bullet, Australian journalist Lauren Tomasi was hit in the leg and Los Angeles Police Department officers detained CNN correspondent Jason Carroll. The letter said officers could be held liable for such incidents but said officials could 'take measures to not make the problem worse.' 'It appears LAPD did not heed this warning,' First Amendment Coalition Executive Director David Snyder said in a statement announcing the lawsuit. Protests over immigration raids in the city started on June 6 and grew over the following days, prompting President Donald Trump to order both National Guard troops and Marines to the city. California Gov. Gavin Newsom referred to such moves as a 'blatant abuse of power,' and the state sued the administration over Trump's orders. USA TODAY reached out to the Los Angeles Police Department and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass' office for comment. BrieAnna Frank is a First Amendment Reporting Fellow at USA TODAY. Reach her at bjfrank@ USA TODAY's coverage of First Amendment issues is funded through a collaboration between the Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners. Funders do not provide editorial input.
Time Out
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Time Out
L.A. immigration raids—what to know about the ongoing protests and reduced curfew
Editor's note: Six days after announcing the original Downtown curfew, the mayor has reduced its hours to 10pm to 6am. We've updated this story with new details. After five straight days of protests over U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (a.k.a. ICE) raids in Los Angeles, on June 10 the city's mayor, Karen Bass, issued an overnight curfew for Downtown L.A., stretching from the 110 and 10 Freeways to the point where the 5 and 110 Freeways merge. Bass made sure to point out, though, that the curfew affects less than eight square miles—a very small area of the 502 square miles that make up Los Angeles—because the city is not the 'war zone' it's being made out to be. The curfew was put in place 'to curb bad actors who do not support the immigrant community,' according to Bass. Angelenos want to exercise their right to peacefully protest, but the local government is trying to avoid tensions escalating amid federal intervention. Both Bass and Governor Gavin Newsom have slammed the deployment of the U.S. military to Los Angeles to deal with the recent protests, calling it a move designed to cause fear and panic. Six days later, due to the success of 'crime prevention and suppression efforts,' the curfew has been reduced to only eight hours: 10pm to 6am nightly. 'The adjustment to the curfew follows a marked reduction in acts of violence, vandalism and looting that happened during the immediate escalation of the situation by the Trump Administration,' said the mayor's office. Nevertheless, 'the LAPD will maintain a strong presence in the Downtown area to ensure the safety of residents, businesses and demonstrators alike,' said LAPD Chief of Police Jim McDonnell. Many of the recent (and largely peaceful) demonstrations have been centered Downtown, specifically around the Metropolitan Detention Center and the 101 Freeway, which protesters flooded multiple times last week, shutting down traffic. The area affected by the curfew includes Chinatown, the Arts District, Skid Row and the Fashion District, where the ICE raids began Friday, June 6. The curfew and recent ICE activity is greatly affecting Downtown restaurants and businesses, so the reduced curfew hours should hopefully help with that negative impact. (Last Thursday, the Music Center's venues were given an exemption for L.A. Opera and Center Theatre Group performances, and Downtown diners were allowed to visit restaurants as long as they entered before 8pm.) How long is the L.A. curfew? After first announcing the curfew on June 10, Mayor Bass has reduced the hours from 8pm to 6am to now last from 10pm to 6am. The curfew is in effect indefinitely until it's officially lifted. That means that from 10pm to 6am until we hear otherwise, much of Downtown L.A. is off-limits. What happens if you violate the curfew? According to LAPD Chief of Police Jim McDonnell, if you are within the designated curfew zone between the hours of 10pm and 6am and are not exempt, you're subject to arrest. Exceptions will be made only for law enforcement, emergency and medical personnel, DTLA residents, people commuting to and from work and credentialed media representatives. Sure enough, during the very first night of the curfew, over 200 people were arrested for charges including failure to disperse and curfew violation. The LAPD advises those who know someone who was detained overnight due to the curfew to contact the Metropolitan Detention Center for their status. Are other cities joining L.A. in protest over the immigration raids? Yes, cities across the country have been staging their own protests in solidarity with L.A., including New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Denver, Seattle, Boston and many cities in Texas, where the state's governor has already deployed the National Guard in anticipation of more planned demonstrations, according to CNN. And over the weekend, millions across the U.S. turned out for 'No Kings' protests on June 14.
