Protester Arrested for Spraying Chemical Agent

Los Angeles police arrested a 34-year-old man early Saturday after officers said he sprayed a chemical agent at two officers near the Federal Detention Center downtown. (ktla.com) The Los Angeles Police Department's Central Division said the officers were trying to clear debris from the roadway when several protesters surrounded them. Police said the officers tried to leave the area in their patrol vehicle. (ktla.com) As the officers got into the vehicle and began to drive away, a protester allegedly reached inside and sprayed a chemical agent. LAPD said the incident nearly caused a traffic collision. (ktla.com) Both officers got away safely, later requested medical help, were treated at the scene and released, according to police. The suspect was arrested a short time later on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer. (ktla.com) Police have not publicly identified the chemical agent or said whether any other arrests were made in the Saturday incident. The reported confrontation happened near a federal detention facility that has been a repeated protest site in downtown Los Angeles. (ktla.com) (patch.com) That location drew a much larger confrontation on March 28, when LAPD said 74 people were arrested after a "No Kings" demonstration turned violent near the Metropolitan Detention Center. Patch reported federal officials said at least two officers were hit by concrete chunks and needed medical care. (patch.com) (lapdonline.org) LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said after that March protest that most demonstrators were peaceful, but a smaller group vandalized the fence at the detention center and assaulted police. The department declared a citywide tactical alert that evening and later canceled it just before 8:05 p.m. (lapdonline.org) LAPD has also documented hundreds of protest-related arrests in Los Angeles during earlier 2025 demonstrations tied to federal immigration raids. In a June 14, 2025 update, the department said it had made 561 arrests since June 7 and recorded 12 injured officers. (lapdonline.org) Saturday's arrest leaves the latest downtown case at the charging stage, with police alleging an assault on officers during another tense encounter outside a federal lockup. (ktla.com)