With the recent ICE raids in Los Angeles sparking both peaceful protest and incited riots, the line between expression and chaos has once again been crossed in Downtown Los Angeles. Here’s a list of ICE protest 10 most shocking moments in the DT.
One. ICE Comes to DTLA: The Spark That Ignited the Streets
The calm of a seemingly ordinary morning, Friday, June 6, 2025, was shattered by disturbing reports from downtown Los Angeles as news channels and social media began to buzz with accounts of immigrants showing up for routine check-ins at the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building—appointments they were legally obligated to attend—only to be unexpectedly detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
These weren’t the “violent criminals and drug traffickers” that public statements often claimed were the targets of immigration enforcement. These were individuals diligently following legal processes, many with families and long-standing ties to the community.
The sheer unexpectedness and perceived injustice of these detentions immediately fueled outrage. Reports from attorneys on site painted a grim picture: people held in basement rooms, some overnight, without adequate food or water, in conditions described as inhumane. This quickly transformed routine check-ins into a perceived trap. We would soon learn several ICE raids were happening from City Hall to the Fashion District.
Two. Hammer Time – Ice Hits Home Depot
Aerial view of Home Depot during the Ice Raid
No sooner had these reports begun to circulate than ICE was videotaped detaining immigrants from the Westlake Home Depot parking lot.
This struck an even more jarring chord with the public. This wasn’t MacFenty Park, typically associated with illicit activities just down the street from a Home Depot. No, it was a common, everyday commercial space. ICE was coming after our handymen, targeting day laborers seen by many as essential members of the community.
The outrage was instantaneous. People, already on edge from the federal building detentions, took to the streets. Initial gatherings were informal, fueled by shock and a desperate need to show solidarity. These quickly coalesced into organized protests, with activists and community leaders amplifying the message and calling for greater transparency and accountability from federal authorities. The stage was set for the days of escalating tension and conflict that would follow in downtown Los Angeles and one immigrant-abandoned parking lot at Home Depot.
Three. Australian Reporter Shot with a Rubber Bullet
Video captures LAPD officer deploying rubber bullets in the direction of Australian reporter.
of “Hey, you just shot the f*^kn press”, a voice rang out from a disgruntled crowd, after perhaps one of the most incendiary moments of the day when Australian reporter Lauren Tomasi, on assignment for 9News Australia was shot with a rubber bullet. She was hit by a nonlethal round while reporting live from the scene. Details beyond that remain murky, with conflicting reports of whether Tomasi was caught in a crossfire or targeted. After watching the video, most came she was definitely targeted…. Allegedly.
Four. Lady Trampled by a Police Horse
Day two, amidst the growing intensity, a terrifying and brutal scene unfolded involving an LAPD mounted unit. A female demonstrator, identified only as a protestor, found herself in close proximity to the police horses. Eyewitnesses and video footage clearly showed cops on horseback actively striking her with long rods, resulting in falling to the ground. As she went down under the barrage, one of the horses tragically trampled her.
As officers dismounted to administer aid, crowds looked on, gasping in terror as they removed her mask and head wrapping, from her unconscious body, revealing a gaping, bloody hole in her head. She was rushed to a nearby hospital with critical injuries; there is no word yet about her identity or condition.
Five. Officer Hit with a City Rock
The 101 Freeway at Alameda was once again shut down by protestors, but as police forces moved in to clear the roads, agitators positioned on the freeway’s overpass began pelting officers and their vehicles with “city rocks” pried from nearby city landscaping.
City rock harvesting by protest agitators
A videographer captured a brazen bullseye as an LAPD officer was struck in the face by the small boulder with agitators from above cheering on.
The impact that could have killed him knocked his helmet clean off, exposing his bald head to imminent pummeling. Remarkably, the officer was conscious enough to swiftly make his way to shelter, joining his fellow officers beneath the overpass.
Six. Waymo Says “No Mo” to DTLA
Conspiracy theorists are having a field day. In one of the most bizarre moments of the protest, five of Waymo’s self-driving cars inexplicably navigated right into the protest epicenter.
These less-than-tactical “auto-bots” had no defense beyond flaccid car horns, U-turns, and futile efforts to reroute away from the escalating confrontation, which they ultimately could not. Instead, they met a fiery fate at the hands of protest agitators, who were armed with spray paint, attitude, and Molotov cocktails.
What resulted was a shocking parade of vandalized exploding cars in formation, burning to a crisp until reduced to twisted molten wreckage. Shortly after, Waymo effectively pulled the plug, announcing its decision to indefinitely suspend their robots in disguise throughout DTLA.
Seven. Grand Park Benches Used as Barricades.
Benches become barricades in guerrilla style battle outside Grand Park
By day three, the protest/riot/fight for justice had fully intensified. One video showed a fierce standoff between police in riot gear and a crowd of rock-pelting rioters, with the only thing standing between them as the fight raged on. That day the very symbol of tranquility, Grand Park’s pink flamingo benches, had been uprooted and dragged into the middle of the streets, forming makeshift barricades against advancing police lines. Grand Park and several event organizers have cancelled their upcoming events until the protesting comes to a halt.
Eight. Trump Sends in the Troops.
National Guard arrives in Downtown Los Angeles
In a move that sparked disbelief, President Trump announced he was dispatching the National Guard one day and the Marines the next.
Despite, guerrilla warfare, Molotov, looting and attempted murders on local law officials, the call for militarized deployment was looked upon as incendiary.
Proof of peace – fearless lady shows the world how to samba at ICE protest (watch video) @dtlaweekly
The mayor, the governor, and even overly-concerned developer Rick Caruso agreed, military presence would spark fear and create more chaos. Plus, locals jeered that if local police could handle the regular fireworks, street takeovers, graffiti bombing, and celebratory looting almost after every championship game, they had the tactical fortitude to disperse crowds without military intervention.
Nine. An Entire Town Looted.
Lootiformed agitators emerge from an alley in Historic Core.
As the DTLA protest spiraled, the inevitable followed. The people of Downtown LA would see their town, once again, left in ruins.
By day five, chaos reigned. Over 100 local businesses were ransacked and vandalized. What started as a protest quickly devolved for some into an opportunity for outright looting. Stores Adidas, Skechers, and Shoe Palace were hit by dozens dressed in “lootiform”—dressed in all black, hoodies, masks and relentless in their efforts to create chaos. Fashion store Zara at Figat7th, along with local sushi favorite Ootoro in Little Tokyo, was left broken or bare for all the world to see. Jewelry centers from Hill to Broadway were ransacked, with the iconic Apple Tower gems added to the list. Police did manage to make some five dozen arrests, but by the next morning, local businesses and residents awoke to widespread devastation from Chinatown to the Social District.
The morning after, DTLA crews could be seen installing plywood windows over broken glass frames, and DTLA’s local Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) quickly took charge, organizing the extensive graffiti and trash cleanup that spanned the better part of the day.
Ten: The Mayor Closes the Gates
“If only there was a way to protect downtown.” A sentiment that echoes across the community, from business to business, from apartment to condo. Every protest, from the seemingly innocuous “ArtWalk – Chalk Walk Riots” of 2010 to the profound outpouring following George Floyd somehow seemed to morph from a peaceful protest into a riot. Residents have long questioned how come city officials can’t prevent mass events from escalating so far out of control.
After days of relentless confrontation, on January 10th, Mayor Bass introduced a curfew from 8 PM to 6 AM. Under these new rules, only credited media, safety workers, emergency responders, and residents or workers of DTLA would be allowed to roam.
For DT Weekly, the outsider curfew presented the ultimate opportunity for a neighborhood pet-walking bar hop. For local restaurants and nightclubs kept going by outside visitors, the curfew would present major loss. Regardless, protestors took little heed of the 8 PM curfew. Despite a significant show of police and military force, punctuated by loud sirens and repeated threats over loudspeakers, it still took hours for people to finally disperse from the streets.
Guerrilla warfare in Little Tokyo as rioter fires makeshift rocket launcher from a man-made bunker at police
Once again. Our community becomes ground zero, with the only certainties being that after the smoke clears, the people of downtown will be left to pay the trauma tab. With almost every peaceful protest from George Floyd to Laker wins leading to Downtown LA becoming a target for civil unrest, here’s a tip for our local officials.
How about anticipating peace protest and large gatherings will potentially turn into pandemonium and create pre-designated diversion tactics to keep DTLA residential zones and local businesses out of harms way.
