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Cars set on fire and tear gas hurled as protest descends into anarchy
National Guard troops faced off with protesters in Los Angeles as tear gas was fired at a growing crowd outside a federal complex hours after President Donald Trump’s baffling call
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Cars were set on fire amid anarchic scenes in Los Angeles last night.
Protests across the city turned ugly when a major motorway was blocked off and tear gas, rubber bullets, and flash bangs were used by law enforcement in a desperate attempt to control crowds. The demos were as a result of Donald Trump’s extraordinary deployment of the National Guard in the city amid an immigration row.
Thousands of protesters took to the streets, and some hurled objects at police. Others stood above the closed southbound 101 Freeway to throw chunks of concrete, rocks, electric scooters and fireworks at California Highway Patrol officers and their vehicles which were parked on the motorway. Officers ran under structures to take cover.
Some police patrolled the streets on horseback while others with riot gear lined up behind Guard troops deployed to protect federal facilities including a detention centre where some immigrants were taken in recent days.
READ MORE:Terrorism police deployed amid violence fears for World Cup qualifier in England's groupArticle continues belowIt was the third day of demonstrations against Mr Trump’s immigration crackdown in the region, as the arrival of around 300 federal troops spurred anger and fear among some residents. Sunday's protests in Los Angeles, a city of four million people, were centred in several blocks of downtown.
Starting in the morning, National Guard troops stood shoulder to shoulder, carrying long guns and riot shields outside the Metropolitan Detention Centre in downtown Los Angeles. Protesters shouted "shame" and "go home." After some closely approached the guard members, another set of uniformed officers advanced on the group, shooting smoke-filled canisters into the street.
Minutes later, the Los Angeles Police Department fired rounds of crowd-control munitions to disperse the protesters, who they said were assembled unlawfully. Much of the group then moved to block traffic on the 101 Freeway until state patrol officers cleared them from the roadway by late afternoon, while southbound lanes remained shut down.
Article continues belowNearby, at least four self-driving Waymo cars were set on fire, sending large plumes of black smoke into the sky and exploding intermittently as the electric vehicles burned. By evening, police had issued an unlawful assembly order shutting down several blocks of downtown Los Angeles. Flash bangs echoed out every few seconds into the evening.
Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom requested Mr Trump remove the guard members in a letter Sunday afternoon, calling their deployment a “serious breach of state sovereignty.” He was in Los Angeles meeting with local law enforcement and officials. It wasn't clear if he'd spoken to Trump since Friday.
Their deployment appeared to be the first time in decades that a state’s national guard was activated without a request from its governor, a significant escalation against those who have sought to hinder the administration’s mass deportation efforts.
