Task force announces several dozen arrests tied to recent massive protests in L.A. County

Task force announces several dozen arrests tied to recent massive protests in L.A. County

by Josh Cain, Sean Emery

A small group of trouble makers and organized criminals hiding among tens of thousands of demonstrators who took to the streets during region-wide protests in late May are believed to be behind numerous fires, break-ins and assaults on police officers that occurred nearby, law enforcement officials said Wednesday.

Speaking as part of a region-wide task force, the police chiefs of Los Angeles and Santa Monica and a deputy chief from Long Beach sketched out a detailed portrait of the violence they said was specifically targeted at their cities: carloads of burglars zipping between protests, using the marchers as cover. Arsonists who weaved in and out of demonstrations, then used incendiary devices to torch businesses. And at least one shooter who allegedly fired at police from his Jeep in Venice, striking two, then showed up armed at a second protest in downtown L.A.

Contrary to rumors, said Los Angeles Police Department Michel Moore, all of the suspects involved in the violence were locals. He described the suspects, many who’ve been arrested since June, as “violent opportunists.”

Those taking advantage of the protests were clearly different than the “demonstrators who were lawfully marching in our streets,” Moore said.

The SAFE LA task force, which includes the local police chiefs, FBI agents, L.A. County Sheriff’s commanders and U.S. Department of Justice prosecutors, has not released an exact number of arrests. But officials said Wednesday they’ve served numerous search warrants in the three cities, with all three police departments so far making dozens of arrests each.

Santa Monica saw unprecedented chaos and violence during the protests — video footage showed looters smashing into stores at will and people assaulting bystanders in the middle of streets.

Police Chief Cynthia Renaud, who’s come under fire for what residents have described as a totally overwhelmed police force, said her investigators watched hours of security camera footage to figure out what happened.

When they shared what they found with Long Beach police, they quickly discovered the same burglars were hitting stores in both cities on different days.

“We realized these were well coordinated,” Renaud said. “They were carrying suitcases and briefcases with them to carry away stolen goods.”

Carloads of burglars gathered in nearby parking lots to plan where they were going to go, driving to wherever police were not.

Just two minutes was all they needed to make off with armfuls of items, said Renaud said.

Still on the loose were two men seen on cell phone video setting fire to a police cruiser in Santa Monica, and a woman who beat an elderly man with a bat inside a grocery store.

Nick Hanna, the U.S. Attorney General for California’s Central District, said federal officials wanted to “send a message to those who seek to cause mayhem during unrest.”

Large-scale demonstrations calling attention to police brutality and racial injustice that included hundreds, and at times thousands, of protesters swept across Southern California and the nation in the weeks following the death or George Floyd, who died in Minneapolis after a police officer held his knee on Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes.

Most of the demonstrations and marches were peaceful. But some devolved into clashes between police and protesters, with looting and vandalism at times breaking out.

The multi-agency, SAFE LA Task Force was created to conduct criminal investigations regarding what authorities described as “significant crimes” tied to the Los Angeles-area protests.

During an earlier news conference in late-June announcing the creation of the task force, LAPD officials said they had initially investigated more than 150 assaults on officers and civilians – including five attempted murders of officers – and had made arrests in connection with several other attempted murder cases.

At that same June news conference, law enforcement officials indicated they were looking into several arsons, dozens of looting incidents and the destruction of seven police vehicles.

Agents with the task force served search warrants on July 16 at the homes of two men accused of starting fires at businesses in Hollywood during protests there.

Mario Ernesto Alvarado, a 42-year-old from Sylmar, was later arrested and charged by a grand jury with one count of arson for allegedly starting a fire at Pizzeria Mozza in Hollywood on May 31.

Alvarado, who officials said was identified by a tipster who recognized him from security camera footage, is believed to have poured a flammable liquid on the floor of the pizzeria and set it ablaze. He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison if found guilty.

A web page created by the task force – www.lapdonline.org/safelatips – features photos and videos of people police suspect of taking part in crimes during the demonstrations and offers cash rewards for community tips that lead to arrests.

Included on the task force are personnel from the LAPD, FBI, Los Angeles Fire Department, Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office, Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office and the Beverly Hills, Santa Monica and Torrance police departments.

All credit goes to Josh Cain, Sean Emery Originally published on https://www.dailynews.com