HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (CNS) — Los Angeles police said Sunday that 10 people were arrested and four people were hurt — including three officers — during clashes in Hollywood with demonstrators marking the first anniversary of the death of Breonna Taylor, who was fatally shot by police in her home in Louisville, Kentucky.
Police Chief Michel Moore said that nine businesses were vandalized and smoke grenades and other projectiles were thrown at police. Police initially believed 11 people were arrested but later adjusted the figure to 10, whose names they released Sunday: Jesssica Woodward, 27; Edward Malcolm, 17; Christopher Stefanic, 36; John Brown, 19; Avery Anglin, 22; Eric Smith, 24; Mario Rappa, 27; Erik Gersovitz, 30; Brian Lightfoot, 24; and Benson Williams, 27.
What You Need To Know
- Ten people were arrested after protesters clashed with Los Angeles police officers during a march to mark the one-year anniversary of Breonna Taylor’s death
- Three officers were reportedly injured — none seriously — during clashes in Hollywood Saturday night
- Chief Michel Moore tweeted a video that appeared to show a microwave oven being thrown at officers
- Taylor, 26, an emergency medical technician in Louisville, was gunned down by police during a botched narcotics raid after officers forced their way into her apartment
Of the 10 arrests, five were arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer, Moore said. He also tweeted a video that appeared to show a microwave oven being thrown at officers.
The LAPD claimed the protesters were dressed in black, and had pepper spray, smoke grenades, metal batons, brass knuckles, helmets, bullet-resistant vests, gas masks, and makeshift shields.
The three officers' injuries included a laceration to the hand after being struck by a computer thrown by a protestor; ear damage as a result of a protestor detonating a smoke grenade nearby; and a knee injury as a result of a fall during a foot pursuit.
A video posted to social media shows two protesters pounding the hood of a Los Angeles Police Department vehicle as it stopped with its siren blaring near Sunset Boulevard and Ivar Avenue. The police car then slowly starts to drive off as protesters climb onto the hood, then abruptly accelerates as one of the protesters tumbles onto the roadway.
Other videos show broken storefront windows at several businesses and other vandalism in the area.
Some who were at the Saturday demonstrations said on social media that they were deliberately hit by police squad cars and with batons.
"LAPD just ran over two protesters at the Hollywood Breonna Taylor march," one activist stated beneath a video of the incident.
The LAPD did not immediately respond to a request for comment on those allegations Sunday.
The department's Hollywood Division later tweeted: "Unacceptable behavior. The group from last night came with the intentions to vandalize businesses and attack Officers. We will not tolerate this in Hollywood. 10 arrests made, 5 of those for Assault with a Deadly Weapon on a Police Officer."
Hundreds of activists took to the streets in Los Angeles at numerous demonstrations Saturday night, as part of a nationwide day of action in memory of Taylor. A memorial was held near the Hollywood Forever Cemetery at 7:30 p.m. Earlier in the day, another memorial was also held in Hollywood, as well as a vigil near the Sherman Oaks Galleria.
The demonstrations came exactly one year after Taylor, 26, an emergency medical technician in Louisville, was gunned down by police during a botched narcotics raid as officers forced their way into her apartment in the early morning hours of March 13, 2020.
Taylor was not the target of the raid and the suspect police were searching for was not at Taylor's home.
None of the officers who fired their service weapons — an estimated 32 rounds — faced criminal charges for her killing. At least three officers with connections to the raid have been terminated from the Louisville police force."
One day before the anniversary, Kenneth Walker — who was Taylor's boyfriend, and in the home when police raided it — filed a federal lawsuit against the Louisville Metro Police Department, alleging his constitutional rights were violated.
The officers have said they opened fire after Walker fired one shot at them, thinking they were intruders, according to multiple reports.
Taylor's mother, Tamika Palmer, has filed complaints with the police department's professional standards unit against six officers for their role in the investigation that included the raid and told interviewers she was frustrated with the lack of accountability in the case.
In a tweet Saturday, President Joe Biden called Taylor's death "a tragedy, a blow to her family, her community, and America."
He added, "As we continue to mourn her, we must press ahead to pass meaningful police reform in Congress. I remain committed to signing a landmark reform bill into law."