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.
Read the full story on LATimes.com.
