- Oct 17, 2011
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Police from across the Los Angeles region announced Wednesday the arrests of dozens of people on arson, burglary and looting charges stemming from the unrest of late May and early June that gripped cities including Long Beach, Santa Monica and L.A.
Officials said the arrests were part of an ongoing effort among local, state and federal agencies to hold accountable individuals and organized criminal groups that took advantage of mass protests against police brutality to burglarize stores and cause mayhem.
Standing alongside many of the area’s most prominent law enforcement officials outside Los Angeles Police Department headquarters downtown, LAPD Chief Michel Moore said the arrests were the result of good police work as well as tips from community members and protesters who realized the crimes they had witnessed were not in the interest of social justice or police reform.
“I want to point out that many of these arrests are the direct result of tips and leads and our community stepping forward, including demonstrators — people who were lawfully and rightfully in our streets and witnessed acts of arson, attacks against police officers, attacks on other protesters, burglary and other crimes,” Moore said.
Moore described the arrests as “a means of supporting lawful demonstration, of ensuring the 1st Amendment rights of everyone are protected,” rather than an effort to deter protest.
Though thousands of people were arrested in L.A. during a week of citywide curfews and police orders declaring large gatherings unlawful, relatively few were charged at the time with serious crimes. The LAPD and other agencies took criticism for staging their officers in skirmish lines around crowds of protesters instead of sending them after individuals who were vandalizing property, burglarizing stores and setting fires nearby.
Police said that the crowds had grown large and dangerous, demanding a police response, and that others used the distraction as cover to commit crimes on the periphery and elsewhere in their agencies’ coverage areas. They promised to circle back to make additional arrests related to the violence and vandalism, including by pulling surveillance and body-camera footage and asking the public to send in videos, pictures and other evidence that could help investigators identify and track down suspects.
The LAPD is still investigating more than 100 other incidents, Moore said.
Renaud said some of those arrested were clearly working as part of organized criminal groups operating not just in Santa Monica but also across the region, including in L.A. and Long Beach.
U.S. Atty. Nick Hanna said his office is reviewing cases brought by local agencies to determine whether any merit federal prosecution and has already brought arson cases in the burning of a pizzeria in Sylmar and a sushi restaurant in Santa Monica.
The wheels of justice are sometimes slow, but they turn. It's also important to note that one can distinguish between peaceful demonstrators and the bad guys. These stories have dribbled out over the past few weeks, but I think these agencies saved up a big lump to make this announcement to get more attention to both halves of the equation. #1 the police are here to protect demonstrators' rights #2 the police are also here to get the bad guys.
Officials said the arrests were part of an ongoing effort among local, state and federal agencies to hold accountable individuals and organized criminal groups that took advantage of mass protests against police brutality to burglarize stores and cause mayhem.
Standing alongside many of the area’s most prominent law enforcement officials outside Los Angeles Police Department headquarters downtown, LAPD Chief Michel Moore said the arrests were the result of good police work as well as tips from community members and protesters who realized the crimes they had witnessed were not in the interest of social justice or police reform.
“I want to point out that many of these arrests are the direct result of tips and leads and our community stepping forward, including demonstrators — people who were lawfully and rightfully in our streets and witnessed acts of arson, attacks against police officers, attacks on other protesters, burglary and other crimes,” Moore said.
Moore described the arrests as “a means of supporting lawful demonstration, of ensuring the 1st Amendment rights of everyone are protected,” rather than an effort to deter protest.
Though thousands of people were arrested in L.A. during a week of citywide curfews and police orders declaring large gatherings unlawful, relatively few were charged at the time with serious crimes. The LAPD and other agencies took criticism for staging their officers in skirmish lines around crowds of protesters instead of sending them after individuals who were vandalizing property, burglarizing stores and setting fires nearby.
Police said that the crowds had grown large and dangerous, demanding a police response, and that others used the distraction as cover to commit crimes on the periphery and elsewhere in their agencies’ coverage areas. They promised to circle back to make additional arrests related to the violence and vandalism, including by pulling surveillance and body-camera footage and asking the public to send in videos, pictures and other evidence that could help investigators identify and track down suspects.
The LAPD is still investigating more than 100 other incidents, Moore said.
Renaud said some of those arrested were clearly working as part of organized criminal groups operating not just in Santa Monica but also across the region, including in L.A. and Long Beach.
U.S. Atty. Nick Hanna said his office is reviewing cases brought by local agencies to determine whether any merit federal prosecution and has already brought arson cases in the burning of a pizzeria in Sylmar and a sushi restaurant in Santa Monica.
The wheels of justice are sometimes slow, but they turn. It's also important to note that one can distinguish between peaceful demonstrators and the bad guys. These stories have dribbled out over the past few weeks, but I think these agencies saved up a big lump to make this announcement to get more attention to both halves of the equation. #1 the police are here to protect demonstrators' rights #2 the police are also here to get the bad guys.
