Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has extended a citywide curfew for another night following escalating violence Saturday.
Garcetti made the announcement in a remote address to an angry, heartbroken city following a fourth day of protests tied to the death of George Floyd, who died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes over the man's cries for mercy.
The curfew will last from 8 p.m. Sunday to 5:30 a.m. Monday, and comes as National Guard troops arrive in the city to support local law enforcement.
"When times demand it, strong steps are required to bring peace back to our city, which is why I enacted, as heavy a decision as it was, a citywide curfew," Garcetti said.
Protests began peacefully on Saturday, but tensions boiled over amid heavy police presence and a declaration of unlawful assembly at Pan Pacific Park near the Fairfax District. By the end of the night, stores were looted, vehicles burned, and both civilians and officers had been injured, with police firing nonlethal projectiles and deploying tear gas.
Police Chief Michel Moore said LAPD's entire organization was called on duty for the first time in more than 30 years.
Moore also said the curfew allowed police to more easily identify "caravans" of individuals who were moving from one location to another to loot businesses.
Moore said he had seen protests with 500,000 people in L.A. that did not result in violence or looting, and he and Garcetti asked protesters to help prevent things from escalating.
DASH and Metro routes were canceled last night to protect their staff, Garcetti said.
As of today, the DASH service has been restored, and reimbursements for Metro riders who were stranded will be issued. Garcetti said you can call 323-Go-Metro or email customerrelations@metro.net for more information.
COVID-19 testing locations were similarly closed yesterday after staff had expressed concern for their own safety and asked to go home early, Garcetti said. Some of those centers will remain closed tomorrow.
But Dodger Stadium, the largest testing site in the county, will be open tomorrow, along with the walk-up location in South L.A., Garcetti said. He encouraged people with appointments to keep them and said people who want a test should go ahead and schedule one, though new appointments may be pushed back a day or two.
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