‘No Kings’ protest ends with police firing heavy amounts of less-than-lethal ammunition on the streets of L.A.
Content warning: This article contains photos with visible blood and injury.
Law enforcement officers in riot gear, using less-than-lethal munitions, advance on protesters, corralling them in front of Los Angeles City Hall. The protesters, many with their hands in the air, run through tear gas, coughing and teary-eyed. LAPD blocks their escape on the other end of the street forcing them to jump a chain-link fence. Some people stayed behind to assist the injured, and others slammed against the dirt floor, visibility frantic, scrambling towards safety.
“They shot me. Those fucking pigs shot me,” Jessica Padilla, a Santa Monica resident, said. “I was peacefully protesting, nowhere near the front. They’re shooting indiscriminately.”
The “No Kings” protest ended with Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers utilizing multiple less-than-lethal weapons on protesters after the crowd was declared an unlawful assembly in downtown Los Angeles on June 14. The protest began at 9 a.m., and LAPD issued a dispersal order around 4 p.m.
The downtown protest, organized by 50501 SoCal, coincided with ongoing anti-ICE protests in the area that started on June 6. On June 10, Mayor Karen Bass declared a local emergency and set a curfew in the downtown area to “curb bad actors,” per a press release.
The week-long curfew continued to be in effect during the protest, and ranged from 8 p.m. until 6 a.m. Law enforcement agencies also collaborated “alongside the LAPD through a unified command structure” to enforce the order. As of publication, the curfew is lifted.
The downtown event started as a peaceful protest, but escalated after law enforcement officers faced off with a large group in front of the Federal Building after the event ended, declaring it an unlawful gathering issuing a dispersal order.
“It was really beautiful to see all our people outside—until the police came,” Angelina Garcia, a Redondo resident, said. “It felt like I was in hell and fire. You couldn’t see, you couldn’t breathe.”
After tensions rose at the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building, platoons of officers armed with 40-millimeter less-lethal launchers, mounted units carrying batons, and a police fleet started to surround the area.
In an interview with NBC Los Angeles, McDonnell said that in the mid-afternoon, protesters launched objects at law enforcement, prompting them to declare an unlawful assembly and commence crowd control techniques.
According to an LA Times TikTok, “few in the crowd seemed to realize the order had been given.” Meanwhile, some news agencies at the scene, like ABC7LA, reported and displayed multiple crowds. ABC7LA described the crowds as keeping their distance and controlling their composure.
Some protesters denied McDonnell’s claim and said that law enforcement’s use of force was unjustified. “They’re lying on the news,” Garcia said. “The only people causing a riot were them (LAPD).”
“I didn’t hear a dispersal order. All I heard was ‘one, two, three, go,’ and they dropped everything on us. We were the victims. The most sickening thing was their big smile when they had the go,” Garcia said.
While law enforcement began dispersal efforts in multiple areas near the federal building, other efforts started in the back of City Hall. The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department (LASD) began firing non-lethal rounds into the crowd during a standoff on North Main Street and West Temple Street.
A sheriff deployed a round of sponge rounds into the crowd on North Main Street, which momentarily left the crowd in silence, before protesters started screaming and fleeing up West Temple Street towards City Hall.
A few protesters stayed, hiding behind commercial planters, as sheriffs fired non-lethal rounds into the crowd. A woman refused to hide, opting to shout at the sheriffs, “Judas. You disappointments. You should be here with us,” as her partner pulled on her arm, pleading for her to take cover.
The bulk of the crowd stayed on West Temple Street, but some protesters approached the sheriff's line, with their hands in the air, only to be peppered by non-lethal fire.
As people withstood less-than-lethal munitions at the intersection, the crowd on West Temple chanted, “Peaceful protest.” Some shouted at the sheriffs, “We’ve done nothing to you,” and others, “You should be defending your community.”
While law enforcement pushed the crowd, another large group arrived. LASD sheriffs and LAPD officers managed to prevent the crowds from merging by using multiple tear gas canisters and less than lethal foam bullets. Tear gas powder stained the street, while thick, face-burning clouds drifted through the air.
Protesters marked with white powder from pepper balls, a hard plastic sphere designed to burst upon impact filled with a chemical irritant, could be seen fleeing and taking cover from law enforcement’s non-lethal fire. Numerous shell casings accumulated at the sheriffs’ feet, while the foam tips from multiple 40-millimeter sponge rounds littered West Temple Street. Numerous protesters could be seen bleeding from the head from their injuries.
Journalists Caylo Seals, a former Corsair photo editor, and Ethan Cohen, a photojournalist for the Long Beach Current, sustained injuries from less-than-lethal munitions during the Temple Street standoff. Seals was shot with non-lethal fire multiple times throughout the day.
Law enforcement blocked a part of North Spring Street, corralling protesters in front of City Hall as they advanced up West Temple Street. Then, LASD opened non-lethal fire into the crowd, pushing them towards LAPD Headquarters on First Street.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department Central Division’s (LAPDCD) X account, people continued to throw “concrete, rocks, bottles and commercial grade fireworks at officers.”
Protesters holding umbrellas, wooden boards, and other makeshift barriers began stepping into the line of fire to prevent non-lethal fire from hitting the crowd. Some protesters ran for cover. Others hid behind a crowd control barrier left over from the “No Kings” event and passed it along to provide protection.
Multiple unarmed protesters were shot, with some losing consciousness and needing to be dragged to safety. Law enforcement shot a myriad of people as they fled. Some would fall, and they continued to shoot as people crawled or hobbled away.
According to the LAPD’s Use of Tactical Force-Tactics Directive, the 40-millimeter less-lethal launcher can be used in crowd control situations against a singular suspect. They are not permitted to “target the head (e.g., face/eyes), neck, groin, spine, or kidneys unless lethal force is authorized.” Additionally, threats of violence and mere non-compliance do not justify the use of non-lethal force.
Law enforcement advanced on protesters with non-lethal weapons to close the kettle, deploying large amounts of tear gas, resulting in a canister landing where a large group of press had gathered on the sidewalk in front of City Hall, causing multiple journalists to flee.
At 6:40 p.m., hours after multiple journalists endured injuries, the LAPD warned reporters about possible crossfire on their media relations X account, saying, “Media partners, do not place yourself between a crowd and a police skirmish line.”
“Please step to the sidewalk and out of the street as the mobile field force passes. You may be caught between rocks, bottles, thrown items, fireworks, and less-lethal munitions.”
With tear gas filling the street and law enforcement shooting at protesters, people jumped a chain-link fence into an empty lot next to the Gloria Molina Grand Park and fled towards Broadway Street and West First Street. On the opposite end, protesters found a hole in the fence and assisted others fleeing as a line of police marched on Broadway Street towards them.
As protesters hopped the fence, a woman with a megaphone yelled at the sheriffs, “You’re shooting at your own people, you fucking cowards.” Later, a man with a Thin Blue Line flag approached the incoming sheriffs to give his support.
“Don’t listen to them. I support you,” he said. “There’s a lot of people like me who support you and know you’re protecting the people.”
From 4:30 p.m. until 6:40 p.m., law enforcement held protesters in a kettle, then released them one hour and 15 minutes before the 8 p.m. curfew. Multiple tense standoffs ensued on Broadway Street as LAPD followed the thinning crowd.
Some protestors complained that law enforcement closing various freeway ramps prevented them from leaving before the 8 p.m. curfew.
“Every street is blocked off. There’s no escape,” Fernando Arciniega, an L.A. resident, said. “I’ve been trying to leave, but can’t.”
According to the LAPDCD’s X account, at 4:49 p.m., all 101 freeway exits and on ramps remained “closed between Alameda and the 110 freeway,” with officers closing multiple streets throughout the crowd control efforts.
On Broadway Street and Third Street during a standoff, someone threw a plastic bottle from a rooftop, prompting LAPD to unload several rounds of less-than-lethal munitions towards the agitators, stippling the face of the building.
According to the LAPDCD’s X account, people threw commercial-grade fireworks at police officers at that intersection around 7:30 p.m.
By 7:45 p.m., protesters in the area could be heard yelling at the police, “They don’t even know who they’re making contact with,” and “You’re just blank firing up.”
The following morning, the LAPD Public Information Office X account said that law enforcement used “numerous less-lethal munitions” and that three police officers were injured. The department arrested 38 people on June 14, totaling 561 arrests since June 7.
Multiple journalists with bulletproof vests, helmets, and other items labelled “PRESS” also endured injuries from non-lethal munitions during the skirmishes. Since June 7, “about 10 press went to the hospital or similar urgent care,” said Adam Rose, secretary of the Los Angeles Press Club.
On Monday, June 17, the L.A. Press Club, alongside Status Coup, filed a lawsuit against the LAPD, citing “continuing abuse, including the use of excessive force.” According to the lawsuit, LAPD’s behavior at the protests reveals “a brazen refusal to abide by the Constitution and state law.”
“There are many examples of journalists being subjected to excessive force and other constitutional violations during the June 2025 protests,” the lawsuit says. “The LAPC has documented dozens of instances of excessive force and other incidents of police misconduct towards journalists during the recent protests in Downtown Los Angeles.”
The Corsair emailed LAPD and LASD about the “No Kings” protest, but at the time of publication, they have not responded.
Protests ignited in downtown on June 6, after masked federal agents conducted mass immigration raids in multiple areas throughout the county. According to the Wall Street Journal, Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff, directed federal agents to target day laborers at Home Depot and 7-Eleven. “Just go out there and arrest illegal aliens,” Miller said.
In response to the ongoing protests, President Donald Trump deployed 2,000 National Guardsmen and 700 Marines to defend federal property in the downtown area after a protest in Paramount on June 7.
After deploying troops, Trump said on Truth Social, “If our troops didn’t go into Los Angeles, it would be burning to the ground right now, just like so much of their housing burned to the ground. The great people of Los Angeles are very lucky that I made the decision to go in and help!!!”
Some protesters said they attended “No Kings” to defend their community and families. “Our people are being killed,” Ander Apac, a Mid-City resident, said. “They’re being torn away from their families.”
Since Jan., seven people have died in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody. A slight increase from last year.
On Jun. 14, many protesters went home bloodied and bruised after protesting ICE and the Trump administration. What began as a peaceful event ended in a haze of tear gas, flash bangs, and pepper bullets.