Los Angeles illegal immigration march turns violent

Per Eric Leonard on KFI, the second, more militant illegal immigration march in MacArthur Park in Los Angeles has turned violent, with protesters throwing rocks at police, and the police responding with rubber bullets. A couple reporters were hit by the bullets. Breaking...

UPDATE: UPI says:

Witnesses said police wearing riot gear and wielding batons gave no warning before firing at rally participants gathered at MacArthur Park, CNN reported. Police said a protester knocked down a motorcycle officer, the news channel said.

However, the Los Angeles Times says:

Around 6 p.m., after police tried to disperse a group of demonstrators who had moved off the sidewalk into Alvarado Street, some of the few thousand participants still in the park started throwing plastic bottles and rocks at officers. Then, several dozen riot police, clad in helmets and carrying batons, started clearing the park, firing a few dozen volleys of foam bullets into the crowd... Several people -- including 15 police officers -- were hurt, but most, if not all, of the injuries appeared to be minor. However, late Tuesday, a staff member from Telemundo's newsroom confirmed that one reporter and three camera operators from the Spanish language TV station had been injured and were taken to a hospital by police. There was also a report that a Fox 11 reporter and camera operator had been injured... ...Another confrontation cane around 6:50 p.m., still well before nightfall, when a police car blazing its lights was bombarded by bottles and clothes as it passed. A line of officers fired several volleys of the 37-millimeter to 40-millimeter "less-lethal munitions" -- police parlance for foam or rubber bullets -- from wide-barreled launchers resembling shotguns. People started running, while also throwing things -- from plastic bottles to palm fronds -- at Metro buses. One took a piece of wood and hit a bus...

The first few pictures here concern this incident.

The LAPD isn't exactly known for their restraint and other features, so I wouldn't be surprised to learn that they overreacted. On the other hand, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that a small number of anarchist/communist/reconquista loons were deliberately trying to provoke such a reaction.

Here's video from CNN:

UPDATE 2: Christina Gonzalez - now apparently with MY13/KCOP or whatever it is - was one of the reporters caught up in the LAPD's riot line, and they have a video of her pleading with the LAPD to stop roughing up one of her cameramen or producers. That's one of them in the third picture from the LAT slideshow above. Tony Valdez - now apparently on the same station - is incensed.

UPDATE 3: Here's video of Telemundo crew being surprised by the riot line. It includes shots of demonstrators throwing rocks.

UPDATE 4: Here's video from the local Fox affiliate.

UPDATE 5: Here's part 2 of this post.

Comments

The media finally gets what's coming to them.................

let us hope for more of this kind of fun!