Burning Cars, Tear Gas,Smashed Up Windows and Barricades: Anti-ICE Protest Erupts Into Chaos in Downtown LA

June 8, 2025 – LOS ANGELES, California:
What began as a protest against federal immigration enforcement escalated into a volatile standoff in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday, as demonstrators clashed with local law enforcement and the National Guard while officials used various non-lethal munitions against crowds, catching some passerbys on the way.

Early in the day, National Guard troops were deployed to downtown LA, where they were seen shoving protesters to clear a path for armored Bearcat vehicles. Some demonstrators were hit with pepper balls and tear gas.

Later, protesters barricaded themselves outside LA City Hall, where the crowd grew increasingly agitated as police continued firing non lethal weapons. Demonstrators burned and spit on American flags, chanting “F Trump” in defiance of the President’s recent immigration crackdown. Tensions boiled over as Los Angeles Police Department officers fired tear gas, 40mm rubber rounds, and other crowd-control munitions at shielded protesters who launched fireworks and debris at police lines. One protester used a tennis racket to launch objects back at officers.

At LAPD Headquarters, windows were smashed amid the unrest,  prompting fire department to arrive and investigate a small fire inside.

By evening, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department had joined in, deploying flash bangs as protesters continued to press forward, some dispersing with bloody injuries across bodies and faces.