An unidentified protester who put his body on the line to prevent a white SUV full of more than a dozen detainees from being driven away was knocked down by the driver of the truck as he attempted to stop it. The event happened at around 2 PM and was broadcast on both KTLA and ABC as federal agents detained more than a dozen workers at Ambiance Apparel. This massive apparel company boasts being one of the largest West Coast suppliers of fashion resources to retailers worldwide, with a branch in China as well.
Instagram users are already flooding the company’s Instagram with comments denouncing the raid.
The mass raid was just one of many reported to take place today in Los Angeles. Earlier today, a northeast Los Angeles-based Instagram account posted a video showing more than a dozen armed agents walking up the sidewalk at The Home Depot, located at 2055 N. Figueroa St. More than a dozen migrants were reportedly detained there. ABC News confirmed this second raid earlier in the day.
The raid was documented by helicopters, much like broadcast news covers live pursuits.
The LAPD issued a statement saying they were not assisting in today’s raids. However, Ron Gochez, an activist with Union Del Barrio, alleged that the LAPD was assisting with traffic control and at 3:15 PM on a live interview with ABC, LAPD chief Jim Mcdonnell just confirmed that he received a call from the FBI requesting assistance by LAPD officers to protect their heavily armed agents after the federal agents feared for their safety after seeing the crowd of community advocates.