Los Angeles police made multiple arrests Saturday evening near the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles after a largely peaceful “No Kings” demonstration turned tense, with authorities reportedly deploying tear gas and bean bag rounds against a crowd of protesters.
Newsweek reached out to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) via email on Saturday for comment.
Why It Matters
Saturday’s confrontation unfolded as part of the largest single-day protest in U.S. history, with at least 8 million people gathering at more than 3,300 events across all 50 states.
Los Angeles was among the cities expecting more than 100,000 participants at local events planned across Beverly Hills, Burbank, West Covina, West Hollywood, and Thousand Oaks, according to the Los Angeles Times. The arrests near a federal detention facility add a significant flashpoint to an otherwise historic day of demonstrations against President Donald Trump’s administration.
What To Know
According to KTLA, the evening standoff began after a peaceful march through downtown Los Angeles, with demonstrators waving flags and carrying signs near Grand Park and L.A. City Hall protesting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Trump’s administration. Authorities established a skirmish line near the intersection of Alameda and Commercial streets before surrounding roughly 150 demonstrators and issuing a dispersal order. Those who refused to leave were arrested.
The Los Angeles Times reports that the LAPD issued a citywide tactical alert due to “incidents” near the Metropolitan Detention Center, where federal officers were seen firing tear gas canisters into the crowd. KTLA reported that bean bag rounds and pepper spray were also deployed earlier in the evening.
The Metropolitan Detention Center is a federal prison in downtown Los Angeles. The confrontation near the facility follows months of heightened tensions in the city over federal immigration enforcement operations.
Saturday’s Los Angeles protests were part of the third round of nationwide “No Kings” demonstrations. The movement first emerged in June 2025, drawing an estimated 5 million participants nationally, followed by a second round in October that drew more than 7 million, according to No Kings Coalition organizers.
What People Are Saying
Karen Bass, Los Angeles Mayor, via X: “Peaceful protest is our constitutional right. When people come together to make their voices heard, that is democracy in action. Please stay safe and look out for one another.”
Bill Essayli, First Assistant U.S. Attorney, via X: “Federal agents have started arresting those who assaulted our personnel at the Los Angeles courthouse. To those who were smashing concrete blocks and throwing them at our officers, we have you on video. We will find you and arrest you too. You’ve been warned.”
LAPD Central Division, via X: “Several splinter groups remain in the Civic Center Area hours after the demonstration has concluded. Multiple dispersal orders have been given with multiple arrests being made.”
What Happens Next
Federal authorities have indicated they are reviewing video footage from the scene and have signaled further arrests are possible.
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