jim mcdonnell

Aug. 25 (UPI) — Eight alleged gang members have been arrested in break-ins of high-end items and firearms from at least 92 homes and businesses, the Los Angeles Police Department announced Monday.

The suspects, who have been arrested and charged, are believed to be members of the Rich Rollin Burglary Crew, LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said at a news conference. They range in age from 20 to 47, police said.

Also, two other men were linked to the burglary crew but were already in custody on suspicion of an unrelated attempted murder, police said.

“These individuals represent the kind of repeat offenders we are targeting through our suppression strategies and their arrests underscore our progress in reducing burglaries and other crimes,” the chief told reporters.

McDonnell said they focused on West Los Angeles and near Los Angeles International Airport, though some crimes were in the San Fernando Valley, police said.

They sought high-end jewelry, purses, watches and wallets, as well as guns and suitcases, police say. The items were sold for cash, District Attorney Nathan Hochman said.

“They come in here, not because they need anything, but because of greed,” Hochman said. “They don’t want to use (the stolen items) for their own benefit, they are using that [to get] money.”

Some of the accused could face life in prison because they have one or two strikes against them, Hochman said.

Police said they are members of the Rollin’ 30s and 55 Neighborhood.

None of the burglaries are linked to a recent crime wave in Encino, and instead were from 2022, with most last year and this year.

At 5 a.m. Wednesday, search warrants were served at eight homes in Los Angeles, Hawthorn, Inglewood and Carson. Besides stolen high-end items and currency, police said they found 15 firearms, weapon magazines, burglary tools, narcotics, masks, cellphones and radios.

Police said they got a break in the burglary cases on Feb. 13 when three suspects in a van were arrested after a vehicle pursuit. The vehicle was recognized from two burglaries the day before, McDonnell said.

In April, police found items from a search warrant. Included were stolen credit cards and license plates, he said.

Mayor Karen Ross praised the “extraordinary work of our LAPD and our regional partners,” including Hawthorne and Inglewood police departments.

She said it was a “major win” for her city, and “we won’t stop doing whatever we need to do to combat crime.”

Police said some places may have been targeted because of postings on social media.

“You’re showing off Rolexes, fancy bags, fancy cars, this kind of stuff. You make yourself a target,” McDonnell said before the announced arrests during a meeting with the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association last week.

Also, McDonnell said upscale restaurant patrons may be targeted.

Homicides in Los Angeles are down 9% from the previous year.

June 14 (UPI) — Millions of people turned out for “No Kings” protests nationwide on Saturday that were largely peaceful though there were some arrests and police had to disperse unruly crowds, including in Georgia and Los Angeles.

In Texas, a credible threat led to the temporary closing of the Texas Capitol building in Austin on Saturday before a planned protest there. The Texas Department of Public Safety evacuated the building and grounds after learning of a threat made against state lawmakers planning to attend the, KXAN reported.

The DPS arrested one person during a traffic stop in La Grange and reopened the Capitol grounds shortly before 5 p.m. CDT, which is when the protest was scheduled to start.

Law enforcement did not identify the suspect or any charges against that person.

In Atlanta, members of the far-right Proud Boys appeared at the city’s protest, wearing the group’s distinctive black and yellow colors.

Police in Georgia arrested at least eight protesters after they entered a roadway in DeKalb County during the afternoon, WSB-TV reported.

Hundreds gathered to protest against President Donald Trump at a site near Chamblee Tucker Road, and many began marching in the road toward Interstate 285 northeast of Atlanta.

Local police ordered the crowd to return to the sidewalk and deployed tear gas when they did not.

Two motorists have been arrested in separate incidents on opposite ends of the country after driving into protesters, according to a report by The Guardian.

At least four protesters suffered non-life-threatening injuries at a protest in San Francisco when a motorist allegedly drove into them. The unidentified motorist was detained.

Police in Culpeper, Va., arrested Joseph Checklick Jr., 21, on reckless driving charges in an incident that caused no injuries.

1,500 protests scheduled nationwide

At least 1,500 “No Kings” protests nationwide were scheduled Saturday, the same day as President Donald Trump’s large-scale military parade in Washington, D.C., to celebrate the U.S. Army and his 79th birthday.

The protests across all 50 states and commonwealths were “largest single-day mobilization since President Trump returned to office — a mass, nationwide protest rejecting authoritarianism, billionaire-first politics, and the militarization of our democracy,” according to the organizers’ website.

The 50501 Movement — 50 protests, 50 states, one movement — is one of the main organizers of the demonstrations that are designed to be peaceful.

“The ‘No Kings’ mobilization is a direct response to Donald Trump’s self-aggrandizing $100 million military parade and birthday celebration, an event funded by taxpayers while millions are told there’s no money for Social Security, SNAP, Medicaid, or public schools,” according to the website.

The parade is officially celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States Army and has been planned for well over a year, although it has been expanded to meet Trump’s requests since he retook office.

The protests were organized by a coalition of more than 200 organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union, American Federation of Teachers and the Communications Workers of America.

Protests nationwide began after Trump’s inauguration for his second presidency on Jan. 20 over several of the Trump administration’s moves, including its crackdown on immigrants and cuts to the federal workforce and services.

Where protests happened

A map shows where the events took place.

In New York, about 50,000 protesters marched a mile on Fifth Avenue from Bryant Park to Madison Square Park, an NYPD spokesperson told WNBC-TV. As of 4:30 p.m., the NYPD reported no arrests or incidents of note related to the demonstrations.

“Real power looks like the thousands of people that are going to gather here in Bryant Park and stand up to their neighbors and for their communities,” 50501 organizer Hannan Strauss told CNN during an interview in New York.

In Chicago, several thousand people packed streets in and around Daley Plaza in downtown Chicago. They then marched to Trump Tower, shouting “Hey hey, ho ho, Donald Trump has got to go,” and “No hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here.”

Events in Minnesota, including in Minneapolis, were canceled though several thousand showed up in the state capital, St. Paul. Minnesota State Patrol and Gov. Tim Walz asked people not to participate after State Rep. and Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark were killed. State Sen. John Hoffman of Champlin and his wife Yvette were shot multiple times.

Despite triple-digit temperatures, a crowd demonstrated at the Arizona State Capitol in Phoenix.

More than 75 protests were scheduled in Florida, including near Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach where demonstrators marched to the Mar-a-Lago gates. They were met by Trump supporters.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state is ready to “quell any violence” at events in his state. During an interview on Fox News, he said local police, county sheriffs, highway patrol and the National Guard will be ready to stop any violence or “unrest” against federal anti-illegal immigration efforts.

The protests, large and small, are taking place everywhere except the nation’s capital “to draw a clear contrast between our people-powered movement and the costly, wasteful, and un-American birthday parade in Washington.”

“We’re showing up everywhere he isn’t — to say no thrones, no crowns, no kings,” the website reads. Trump on Thursday told reporters that, despite the protests’ title, “I don’t feel like a king. I have to go through hell to get stuff approved.”

Demonstrators gathered outside a Metro station in Arlington, Va.

D.C. residents were encouraged to go to a demonstration in Philadelphia, which is America’s first capital and the birthplace of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. The protest includes plans to march from Love Park to the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

A Philadelphia Police Department spokesperson told WCAU-TV an estimated 80,000 people attended the protect along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

Situation in Los Angeles

Protests against immigration arrests have been going on for a week in downtown Los Angeles.

Some protesters in downtown Los Angeles threw objects at police officers as they attempted to clear the crowd using chemical irritants ahead of a nightly curfew, city police said.

The Los Angeles Police Department issued dispersal orders in downtown and approved the use of less lethal munitions that it said “may cause discomfort and pain.”

On Saturday, protesters in Los Angeles carried an enormous copy of the Constitution through the streets. The protest drew about 25,000, KCBS-TV reported.

And there was a 20-foot balloon of Trump wearing a diaper in downtown’s Gloria Molina Grand Park.

A nightly curfew that began Tuesday will remain in effect through the weekend, LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said at a news conference Friday. It turns from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Trump has nationalized California’s National Guard at the opposition of Gov. Gavin Newsom. There are 4,000 National Guard members and 700 Marines.

June 14 (UPI) — At least 1,500 “No Kings” protests nationwide are planned Saturday on the same day President Donald Trump scheduled a large-scale military parade in Washington, D.C. on Flag Day and his 79th birthday.

Millions of people are expected to participate in protests in all 50 states and commonwealths in the “largest single-day mobilization since President Trump returned to office — a mass, nationwide protest rejecting authoritarianism, billionaire-first politics, and the militarization of our democracy,” according to the organizers’ website.

The 50501 Movement — 50 protests, 50 states, one movement — is one of the main organizers of the demonstrations.

A map shows where the events are planned, including rallies in New York City at Bryant Park on Fifth Avenue and in Chicago at Daley Plaza.

“We’re showing up everywhere he isn’t — to say no thrones, no crowns, no kings,” the website reads. Trump on Thursday told reporters that, despite the protests’ title, “I don’t feel like a king. I have to go through hell to get stuff approved.”

The protests, large and small, will take place everywhere except the nation’s capital “to draw a clear contrast between our people-powered movement and the costly, wasteful, and un-American birthday parade in Washington.”

D.C. residents are encouraged to go to a demonstration in Philadelphia, which is America’s first capital and the birthplace of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. They will march from Love Park to the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

“The ‘No Kings’ mobilization is a direct response to Donald Trump’s self-aggrandizing $100 million military parade and birthday celebration, an event funded by taxpayers while millions are told there’s no money for Social Security, SNAP, Medicaid, or public schools,” according to the website.

The parade is officially celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States Army and has been planned for well over a year, although it has been expanded to meet Trump’s requests since he retook office.

The protests were organized by a coalition of more than 200 organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union, American Federation of Teachers and the Communications Workers of America.

Protests nationwide began after Trump’s inauguration for his second presidency on Jan. 20 over several of the Trump administration’s moves, including its crackdown on immigrants and cuts to the federal workforce and services.

In a guidance document for participants and organizers, “No Kings” said participants should practice nonviolence and de-escalate any conflicts with outside parties.

“By the way, for those people that want to protest, they’re going to be met with very big force. And I haven’t even heard about a protest, but you know, this is people that hate our country,” Trump said Tuesday about rallies that may occur in Washington, D.C.

Protests against immigration arrests have been going on for a week in downtown Los Angeles.

A nightly curfew that began Tuesday will remain in effect through the weekend, LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said at a news conference Friday.

L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna said local authorities were aware of at least 30 demonstrations planned that could require law enforcement resources.

Trump has nationalized California’s National Guard at the opposition of Gov. Gavin Newsom. There are 4,000 National Guard members and 700 Marines.

June 9 (UPI) — President Donald Trump escalated a war of words with California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday, as the administration authorized the deployment of 700 Marines to Los Angeles to quell anti-ICE immigration protests that turned violent over the weekend.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the deployment to help defend federal agents amid protests over immigration raids.

“We have an obligation to defend federal law enforcement officers — even if Gavin Newsom will not,” Hegseth said Monday.

“Due to increased threats to federal law enforcement officers and federal buildings, approximately 700 active-duty U.S. Marines from Camp Pendleton are being deployed to Los Angeles to restore order,” Hegseth added in a post on X.

On Monday night, Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell warned anyone involved in violence or vandalism during the demonstrations will be arrested. McDonnell said officers were forced to fire flash-bang grenades Monday at hundreds of protesters as they tried to push the crowd back from the city’s Little Tokyo section.

“There is no tolerance for criminal activity under the guise of protest,” McDonnell told reporters and warned “there will be many more subsequent arrests.” Approximately 70 people were arrested over the weekend.

Meanwhile, Trump and Newsom ramped up their rhetoric as the president publicly endorsed calls to arrest the governor. The war of words escalated after the Trump administration deployed 2,000 National Guardsmen over the weekend to protect buildings and residents, a move Newsom called inflammatory for “peaceful” protests, as the administration called the demonstrations “chaos.”

“While Los Angeles burns — officers ambushed, city in chaos — Kamala Harris, Gavin Newsom and Maxine Waters call the riots and insurrection ‘peaceful,'” The White House wrote Monday in a post on X, showing video of burning cars and protesters closing Highway 101. “They side with mobs. President Trump stands for law and order.”

In response to a reporter question Monday, Trump was asked whether he supported Newsom’s taunt to “border czar” Tom Homan to “come and arrest him.”

“I would do it if I were Tom,” Trump said Monday. “I think it’s great. Gavin likes the publicity, but I think it would be a great thing,” Trump said, as he called Newsom a “nice guy,” but “grossly incompetent.”

Newsom responded on social media saying, “The president of the United States just called for the arrest of a sitting governor. This is a day I hoped I would never see in America.”

“I don’t care if you’re a Democrat or a Republican this is a line we cannot cross as a nation — this is an unmistakable step toward authoritarianism,” Newsom wrote in a post on X.

By Monday evening, Newsom said he would send 800 more state and local officers to Los Angeles.

“Chaos is exactly what Trump wanted, and now California is left to clean up the mess,” Newsom wrote in a new post on X. “We’re working with local partners to surge over 800 additional state and local law enforcement officers to ensure the safety of our L.A. communities.”

Newsom and California Attorney General Rob Bonta also announced Monday that they have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over its activation of the state’s National Guard without getting state and local approval first.

“California’s governor and I are suing to put a stop to President Trump’s unlawful, unprecedented order calling federalized National Guard forces into Los Angeles,” Bonta said. “The president is trying to manufacture chaos and crisis on the ground for his own political ends. This is an abuse of power — and not one we take lightly.”

During Friday’s raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, demonstrators flooded the streets and freeways to protest their actions. The fire department said it responded to “multiple vehicle fires“ during the unrest. Waymo autonomous electric vehicles were among those targeted, according to Los Angeles Fire Department public information officer Erik Scott.

“Due to the design of EV battery systems, it’s often difficult to apply the water directly to the burning cells, especially in a chaotic environment, and in some cases, allowing the fire to burn is the safest tactic,” Scott said.

Over the weekend, demonstrators spilled out onto the 101 freeway that runs through downtown L.A. Approximately 70 people were arrested after being ordered to leave the downtown area. Some were also seen throwing objects at officers.

“I just met with L.A. immigrant rights community leaders as we respond to this chaotic escalation by the administration,” L.A. Mayor Karen Bass wrote Monday evening in a post on X.

“Let me be absolutely clear — as a united city, we are demanding the end to these lawless attacks on our communities. Los Angeles will always stand with everyone who calls our city home.”

Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania disagreed, and said the protests are not peaceful.

“I unapologetically stand for free speech, peaceful demonstrations and immigration — but this is not that. This is anarchy and true chaos,” Fetterman wrote Monday night in a post on X.

“My party loses the moral high ground when we refuse to condemn setting cars on fire, destroying buildings and assaulting law enforcement.”