A shocking incident has come to light amid the ongoing protests in Los Angeles over Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids ordered by US President Donald Trump. Several masked individuals were seen entering Apple store, ransacking and vandalising it. In the videos that have surfaced online, people were seen raiding other stores as well. Local police have made multiple arrests in connection with the violent protests and acts of vandalism. Notably, the protests in Los Angeles erupted after a series of raids were launched by Trump administration on Friday, June 6.
Video Goes Viral
In videos that are circulating online, people are seen storming inside an Apple store and stealing the products. A video shared by Journalist Brendan Gutenschwager on X, shows several masked people running inside the Apple store and picking up things. He wrote on X, “Apple store in downtown LA being looted tonight.” Adidas stores, pharmacies, marijuana dispensaries and other stores were also targeted.
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Los Angeles Police Department Officer Chris Miller confirmed that one woman was arrested in connection with the Apple Store loot.
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On Tuesday, Los Angeles mayor Karen had imposed a curfew as protests against immigration raids turned violent. Bass told reporters, “I have declared a local emergency and issued a curfew for downtown Los Angeles to stop the vandalism, to stop the looting.”
Meanwhile, protests outside a federal detention centre in Los Angeles turned tense as law enforcement agencies, including the California National Guard and Department of Homeland Security, fired non-lethal tear gas outside the facility to disperse protesters. Dozens of undocumented immigrants were also arrested.
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday slammed Los Angeles protests and called it “a full-blown assault on peace, public order, and national sovereignty.” Trump made these statements at Fort Bragg in North Carolina on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the US Army. The event saw a campaign-style rally by the American President.
During his remarks, Trump tore into Los Angeles and pointed out that the city has undergone a massive transformation in a few decades. Denouncing the LA protests against his ‘mass deportation’, he said, “Within the span of a few decades, Los Angeles has gone from being one of the cleanest, safest and most beautiful cities on earth, to being a trash heap with entire neighbourhoods under the control of transnational gangs and criminal networks.”
Also Read: ‘From Cleanest To Trash Heap’: Trump Vows To Make Los Angeles Free And Safe Again Amid Ongoing Protests