An anti-ICE protest near the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles turned violent Sunday, leaving two federal corrections officers hospitalized after a confrontation outside the facility, according to police and federal officials. The anti-ICE protest near the Metropolitan Detention Center drew a group of about 40 to 50 demonstrators and unfolded as the officers finished their shift and headed to their cars.
Video posted to social media showed protesters taunting the workers and following them with cameras and phones. In one clip, a federal employee was struck multiple times near a stairwell. Another video showed a protester taking the employee’s clear bag, which officials said is the only type of bag authorized inside the institution. The worker then pulled out a gun and tried to move away from roughly a dozen protesters who kept following him, the footage showed. A separate video from the same night appeared to show two protesters, one carrying a Palestine flag and another with a face covering and keffiyeh, attacking the workers in a parking garage and grabbing one by the backpack before punching him.
The Los Angeles Police Department said Central Division officers were called after multiple 911 calls. In a statement, police said the demonstrators “suddenly and deliberately” attacked the federal employees and struck them several times. LAPD said two protesters were arrested for allegedly attacking the workers. Detectives are now treating the case as both felony and misdemeanor battery while the investigation continues.
