Downtown LA

Driver Arrested on Suspicion of Attempted Murder During Downtown LA Protests

A driver accused of going through two LAPD skirmish lines was one of more than 530 individuals arrested Friday night and early Saturday in downtown LA

Protesters Clash with Police
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Protesters face off with a large law enforcement presence in downtown Los Angeles on Friday, May 29, 2020 in Los Angeles.

A man accused of driving his car through police skirmish lines during a destructive night of unrest in downtown Los Angeles was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

Officers and group of people clashed late Friday during protests over the in-custody death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Several buildings and vehicles were damaged in the melee. 

At about 2 a.m. officers were conducting crowd control near South Broadway and West 6th Street when a man drove through the intersection where officers had established skirmish lines. 

After narrowly missing officers, the driver went through a second skirmish line. 

One officer first fired a less-lethal round before another officer fired rounds from his service weapon at the vehicle, police said. 

Images: George Floyd Protests Spill Onto LA Streets

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Looters emerge from a store with merchandise during a riot on May 31, 2020 in Santa Monica, California folling a peaceful rally which was held earlier in the day expressing outrage over the death of George Floyd. – Thousands of National Guard troops patrolled major US cities after five consecutive nights of protests over racism and police brutality that boiled over into arson and looting, sending shock waves through the country. The death Monday of an unarmed black man, George Floyd, at the hands of police in Minneapolis ignited this latest wave of outrage in the US over law enforcement’s repeated use of lethal force against African Americans — this one like others before captured on cellphone video.

No officers were injured. 

The driver continued until he was blocked by traffic. 

He was later identified as 49-year Richard Dodson, who was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. Dodson was not seriously injured. 

He was being held on $2 million bond. Details about a court date were not immediately available and it's not clear whether he has an attorney.

It was one of 533 arrests reported Friday by the LAPD.

Friday marked a  third consecutive night of unrest in Los Angeles, one of several cities across the nation where protesters demand justice for demand for Floyd, a 46-year-old black man who died Monday after being handcuffed and pinned to the ground by a white Minneapolis Police Department officer.

After night fell in LA, several businesses downtown were looted, including the Target store at Seventh and Figueroa streets, a Rite Aid store at Seventh and Hope streets, along with the Sixth Street Market and the Starbucks on Sixth Street between Broadway and Main Street and jewelry stores near Sixth Street and Broadway.

Aerial Video Shows Confrontation Between LAPD and Protesters
Video shows police and protesters Friday May 29, 2020 in downtown Los Angeles.

A trash can was set on fire near Olympic Boulevard and Hill Street and quickly extinguished by officers. Three fires were set near the intersection of Hill and Seventh streets, one in the intersection, another south of the intersection on Hill Street and a third on a sidewalk near a building.

Police set up skirmish lines throughout the downtown area and, in at least one instance, fired non-lethal ammunition as they pushed a crowd out of the area, some in the crowd stopping to hide behind vehicles to throw objects at officers.

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