LOS ANGELES (KTLA) – A violent clash between demonstrators and officers from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security reportedly unfolded outside the federal courthouse, near the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles Thursday afternoon.
The incident, according to a witness who emailed KTLA, unfolded at around 1:15 p.m.
In footage of the clash, officers wearing bulletproof vests emblazoned with the words “Homeland Security” crossed the street where a handful of “Occupy ICE” demonstrators were camped out in front of signs, many of them containing profanity, protesting the presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in L.A.
It’s unclear why officers initially approached the demonstrators, but the situation quickly devolved into a violent physical struggle where several people, including two women, were taken to the ground as a man was pulled out of the group and separated by several officers…