Isai RochaThe Los Angeles Police Department said it made 40 arrests outside of Staples Center after declaring an unlawful assembly formed by what they described as an “unruly crowd.”
LAPD said the individuals were blocking train tracks and were asked to disperse at the cross section of 18th and Figueroa.
“Approximately 30 individuals were cited for being in the intersection. Approximately 40 individuals were arrested for blocking the train tracks and failing to disperse after an unlawful assembly was declared,” LAPD said in a tweet, Tuesday.
The individuals were put into busses to be booked, processed and taken to a jail facility.
Footage from an Instagram account called @the_real_los_angeles showed footage of crowd members attempting to grab an officer’s baton, as LAPD attempted to push the crowd away from the area.
View this post on Instagram
Additional videos from activist Sean Beckner-Carmitchel, showed interactions between the crowd and LAPD, with one officer saying, “You guys are going to end up getting pushed, you’re going to get hurt and you’re going to start crying,” while another officer was recorded saying, “Whenever you want to fight, man. I’m ready when you are. Let me know when you’re ready.”
Black Lives Matter Los Angeles held a “Marathon Party at the Polls” near Staples Center from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., but as of this writing, BLM-LA has not addressed the arrests, or stated if the individuals were taking part in the rally.
Officers had been on tactical alert throughout the day and even asked businesses in downtown L.A. to close in anticipation of civil unrest related to the elections.
LAPD did not report any violence, or vandalism during the altercation with the protesters.
Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.