Black Lives Matter Demonstrators March Through Downtown LA

[KABC]

Hundreds of people marched through downtown Los Angeles in a Black Lives Matter protest over the death of George Floyd in Minnesota.

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — Hundreds of people marched through downtown Los Angeles in a Black Lives Matter protest over the death of George Floyd in Minnesota.

The march resulted in a violent confrontation with police and the shutting down of the 101 Freeway near downtown.

An estimated 500 to 1,000 people participated in the event, starting near City Hall and then marching through downtown.

It appears the event was not cleared with city officials in advance as there was a minimal police presence in the area.

Crowds were blocking downtown streets in the area of Temple and Los Angeles streets as they carried signs and stood still in the intersection.

The crowds seem packed tightly together, with few people observing social distancing. The use of masks appeared to also only be sporadic.

The march was a reaction to the death of Floyd and video showing an officer placing his knee of Floyd’s neck while he was handcuffed on the ground.

At one point, dozens of protesters wandered onto a part of a road near downtown and surrounded a CHP cruiser.

The cruiser tried to escape the crowd and someone smashed the back window with a skateboard.

As the CHP car tried to flee, a man rode on the car’s hood for a few seconds, then fell off and appeared to hit his head as he fell to the ground. He then remained motionless as a crowd gathered around him.

A second CHP vehicle tried to assist and was also surrounded and had its window smashed. That vehicle also left.

Video shows Minneapolis police officer kneeling on neck of black man who died