LOS ANGELES—Another protest against President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration was planned in downtown Los Angeles Saturday, after Friday’s demonstration turned violent and left a teenager with stab wounds.
The stabbing occurred at about 1:35 p.m. Friday in the 200 block of Temple Street, near Gloria Molina Grand Park, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Video from the scene showed a crowd of people tending to the bleeding victim on the ground, whose shirt was stripped off. He was reported to be 17 years old.
The victim was eventually rushed to a hospital with stable vital signs, the LAPD’s Media Relations Division told City News Service on Saturday. A suspect, a male between 15 and 18 years old, was detained in connection with the stabbing, but police did not say whether that suspect was subsequently arrested.
Multiple reports from the scene suggested that the stabbing might not have been related to the protest, but possibly involved a separate dispute.
Shortly before the stabbing, over a dozen protesters chased and beat another man to the ground in front of City Hall. Video showed the crowd landing several punches and kicks to that victim, but police did not have any information about that attack on Saturday.
Police declared the remaining protesters to be involved in an unlawful assembly and ordered the group to disperse, which they ultimately did. While the participants walked in various directions away from the park, a group later assembled on the Sixth Street Bridge, forcing a temporary closure of the span until the crowd moved on.
Demonstrations against Trump’s deportation policy have been held daily in the downtown area since last weekend, some involving high school students.
Saturday’s protest was expected to begin at 11 a.m. at Mariachi Plaza, 2917 E. First St., and was organized by the Freedom Socialist Party, the United Front Working Group, the Community Self-Defense Coalition and other organizations.
Since taking office on Jan. 20, Trump has acted on his campaign promise to increase deportations, with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducting raids in major cities.
FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller declined to comment on any upcoming large-scale enforcement operations, but said the agency has been assisting in immigration operations since the end of January.
