L.A. Police Chief Admits Officers ‘Overwhelmed’ as Thousands of Rioters Block Freeway, Torch Cars

Thousands of anti-ICE rioters descended on a major freeway in Los Angeles Sunday evening, blocking traffic in both directions, while rioters downtown set off fireworks and torched several self-driving cars.

One day after President Trump deployed 2,000 National Guardsmen to the city — over the objections of Governor Gavin Newsom and other California Democrats who have insisted they have the situation in hand — Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell admitted that his officers were “overwhelmed” by the scale of the riots, which have continued for four consecutive days in Los Angeles.

“We are overwhelmed,” McDonnell said at a Sunday evening press conference. “Tonight, we had individuals out there shooting commercial-grade fireworks at our officers. That can kill you.”

“They’ll take a backpack, and the backpack will have a cinderblock in it,” he continued. “They’ll break up the cinderblock and use that, pass it around to throw at officers, to throw at cars and other people.”

Around 4 p.m. local time on Sunday, a crowd of at least 2,000 rioters blocked both lanes of traffic on the 101, prompting authorities in riot gear to create a line to prevent them from moving forward. They pushed the crowd onto an exit ramp, though two motorcyclists attempted to break through the skirmish line, injuring two officers.

The road was reopened around 5 p.m., but had to be shut down again around 7:30 p.m. when rioters started throwing objects and damaging police vehicles.

In downtown L.A., rioters were seen destroying self-driving Waymo taxis and spray painting anti-ICE messages on them. At least three were set on fire while protesters slashed tires and smashed windshields. Lime electric scooters were also thrown into the flames. One rioter appeared to have a makeshift flamethrower, according to the Los Angeles Times.

In a statement, LAPD warned people to stay away from the area, as “burning lithium-ion batteries release toxic gases, including hydrogen fluoride, posing risks to responders and those nearby.”

The response to the riot on the freeway Sunday evening appears to have been limited to local and state law enforcement, while National Guard troops clashed with a large crowd near the Metropolitan Detention Center downtown.

McDonnel said that 39 people had been arrested over the weekend, 29 on Saturday and ten on Sunday.

The riots erupted after federal officials conducted immigration raids in Los Angeles County on Friday. Trump ordered the deployment of the National Guard after immigration authorities driving in L.A. were hit with rocks, stones, and concrete, causing damage to government vehicles.

“Great job by the National Guard in Los Angeles after two days of violence, clashes and unrest. We have an incompetent Governor (Newscum) and Mayor (Bass) who were, as usual (just look at how they handled the fires, and now their VERY SLOW PERMITTING disaster,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social Sunday morning as the first National Guard members arrived.

“These Radical Left protests, by instigators and often paid troublemakers, will NOT BE TOLERATED,” he added. “Also, from now on, MASKS WILL NOT BE ALLOWED to be worn at protests. What do these people have to hide, and why??? Again, thank you to the National Guard for a job well done!”

Police arrested two people overnight for alleged assault on officers. One of the suspects allegedly threw a Molotov cocktail, injuring three deputy sheriffs, Sergeant Miguel Meza said Sunday morning. 

Others were detained for failing to disperse after multiple warnings.

Rioters also set a car on fire in the middle of an intersection on Saturday. Two rioters, one of whom was waving a Mexican flag, circled the burning car on motorbikes.

California Governor Newsom, meanwhile, spoke out against Trump’s decision to send in the National Guard.

“The federal government is moving to take over the California National Guard and deploy 2,000 soldiers. That move is purposefully inflammatory and will only escalate tensions,” he said in a post on X.

“LA authorities are able to access law enforcement assistance at a moment’s notice. We are in close coordination with the city and county, and there is currently no unmet need,” he added.

“The Guard has been admirably serving LA throughout recovery,” he concluded. “This is the wrong mission and will erode public trust.”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt responded to Newsom’s criticisms, saying, “Illegal criminal aliens and violent mobs have been committing arson, throwing rocks at vehicles, and attacking federal law enforcement for days.

“Gavin Newsom has done nothing to stop this violence,” she said.  “He should be thanking President Trump for bringing law and order to California — a basic value that Newsom and his fellow Democrats have failed to uphold.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth threatened to mobilize active-duty Marines “if violence continues.” He warned in a post on X that Marines at Camp Pendleton were on “high alert.”

“Under President Trump, violence & destruction against federal agents & federal facilities will NOT be tolerated. It’s COMMON SENSE,” Hegseth wrote. “The @DeptofDefense is mobilizing the National Guard IMMEDIATELY to support federal law enforcement in Los Angeles. And, if violence continues, active duty Marines at Camp Pendleton will also be mobilized — they are on high alert.”

Newsom called Hegseth’s threat “deranged.”

“The Secretary of Defense is now threatening to deploy active-duty Marines on American soil against its own citizens,” Newsom wrote on X. “This is deranged behavior.”

L.A. Mayor Karen Bass’s office said that the mayor will “continue to actively respond to immigration enforcement operations in Los Angeles” and that she has been in contact with officials in Washington and law enforcement “to find the best path forward.”