Law enforcement officers in Los Angeles used tear gas and detained 74 individuals following a ‘No Kings’ demonstration that turned confrontational near a federal detention facility over the weekend.
The Los Angeles Police Department announced Sunday that the arrests occurred when demonstrators refused to comply with orders to leave the area after Saturday’s protest had concluded. An additional person was taken into custody for allegedly carrying what officers identified as a dagger.
These detentions marked a notable exception to what organizers described as largely peaceful demonstrations, with more than 3,100 registered events taking place across all 50 states.
According to a late Saturday statement from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, protesters who had gathered around the federal complex in downtown Los Angeles began hurling rocks, bottles, and chunks of broken concrete at law enforcement personnel.
The department reported that two officers suffered injuries of undetermined severity after being hit by concrete pieces and required medical treatment.
Andre Andrews Jr., a Navy veteran working as an independent journalist, documented the entire Los Angeles demonstration route. He described how authorities released tear gas canisters after protesters ignored dispersal commands. Andrews observed that some demonstrators equipped with protective shields and gas masks threw the canisters back at police from behind a fence surrounding the federal facility. He also witnessed individuals breaking concrete barriers into smaller fragments to use as projectiles against officers.
“Does it make L.A. look bad? No. They’re bad actors causing problems, for sure,” Andrews said. “The peaceful protest was good for the cause. You have the right to do that. But the other people, they were definitely causing problems.”
Among those detained were eight minors, according to police reports. Officers also arrested a woman who had dressed as the Statue of Liberty, who was seen smiling while speaking with the officer escorting her away.
Similar incidents occurred in Denver, where police declared an unlawful assembly and released smoke canisters after a small group blocked roadways and refused to move when requested. Eight individuals were arrested at the scene, with a ninth person detained later for allegedly throwing objects at officers.
The demonstrations stretched across the nation, from New York City with its nearly 8.5 million residents in a Democratic stronghold, to Driggs, a small eastern Idaho community of fewer than 2,000 people in a state where Trump secured 66% of votes in 2024. Minnesota hosted a prominent event on the State Capitol grounds in St. Paul, featuring Bruce Springsteen as the main performer in a show of opposition to Trump’s immigration enforcement policies.
International demonstrations took place in more than a dozen countries, according to Ezra Levin, co-executive director of Indivisible, the organization that coordinated these events.
Organizers estimate that previous No Kings rallies attracted over 5 million participants in June and 7 million in October. Levin projected that Saturday’s events drew at least 8 million people.
“It was powerful. It was historic. It was joyful. It was boisterous,” Levin said Sunday. “I’d say it went pretty well.”
