Thousands of anti-ICE protesters blocked the 101 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles, shutting down both northbound and southbound lanes and causing a major traffic standstill. Drivers on the freeway were forced to turn around.
“The California Highway Patrol (CHP) have entered the SB lanes of the 101 freeway and are attempting to disperse the demonstrators off the freeway. Please avoid the 101 Freeway between the 110 FWY and the 5/10 FWY interchange,” LAPD Central Division wrote on X.
Videos from the scene show thousands of protesters walking on the freeway as officers work to clear the area. Some of them were reportedly screaming “Viva la Raza (Long live the people” and waving Mexican flags.
According to NBC Los Angeles, authorities were seen deploying gas canisters to disperse the crowd on the freeway. The Los Angeles Police Department estimated that, as of 4 p.m. Sunday, around 6,000 people were protesting in the streets of LA, with approximately 2,000 of them occupying the northbound lanes of the 101 Freeway.
{{/usCountry}}According to NBC Los Angeles, authorities were seen deploying gas canisters to disperse the crowd on the freeway. The Los Angeles Police Department estimated that, as of 4 p.m. Sunday, around 6,000 people were protesting in the streets of LA, with approximately 2,000 of them occupying the northbound lanes of the 101 Freeway.
{{/usCountry}}“Officers are reporting that people in the crowd are throwing concrete, bottles and other objects. Arrests are being initiated. A DISPERSAL ORDER has been issued for the area of Alameda and Temple. Those at Alameda and Temple must leave the area,” LAPD Central Division wrote on X.
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Speaking to reporters on Sunday afternoon, President Donald Trump warned that those who spit or throw objects at law enforcement officers will face serious consequences.
“They spit. We hit,” Trump said. “Nobody’s going to spit on our police officers, nobody’s going to spit on our military, which they do, is a common thing. They get up to him this far away, and then they start spitting in their face. That happens, they get hit very hard."