Protestors Violate Curfew, Homeland Security Fights To Regain Control

A large number of protesters continued to march Wednesday evening on downtown Los Angeles streets, violating the second night of a 10-hour curfew.

The defiance came following a day of marches and hundreds of demonstrators gathering in Grand Park, the 12-acre open green space that has the 27-story-high Los Angeles City Hall as its dramatic backdrop. That’s where Los Angeles Police Department officers, including many on horseback, charged into the crowd with rods late Wednesday afternoon and evening to clear the park, according to media reports. Before that happened, some protesters were seen with lit fireworks, which has been what demonstrators threw at police during the weekend’s riots.

Police reportedly fired crowd control projectiles.

Earlier, the protests gained momentum with a march that reached the Spring Street side of Los Angeles City Hall around 6 p.m. local time, according to an LAPD post on X. Police also said around the same time that protesters had gathered at Pershing Square, a Los Angeles park, and on Alameda Street between Aliso and Temple streets.

Police later reported on X that the large gathering at Grand Park separated into various groups blocking downtown streets. Minutes after the curfew started at 8 p.m., protesters were seen on live TV newscasts. About 20 minutes later, a crowd on First and Hill streets were taken into custody, according to CBS News Los Angeles, whose helicopter was overhead.