Tensions rise in downtown LA as police issue dispersal order following 'No Kings Day' protest

Law enforcement leaders came together Friday to discuss their preparations ahead of demonstrations planned for the weekend.

The agencies present at the news conference included the Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, and the California Highway Patrol.

Over 2,000 protests are planned nationwide in what's being called "No Kings Day," which also coincides with President Donald Trump's 79th birthday.

"We're talking about two things right now, one is the national exorbitant and frankly authoritarian military parade happening in DC tomorrow," said Hunter Dunn, one of the organizers for No Kings National Day of Defiance Coalition. "Our communities are under attack by the federal government, ICE has shown up without warrants, serving as the administration's personal Gestapo, kidnapping people from churches, graduations, from people going to their court appointments."

"No Kings" Day rallies will be held in over 1,000 communities across the United States on Saturday to protest President Donald Trump and his policies.

To curb any potential of violence over the weekend, the late-night curfew in downtown Los Angeles has been extended and will take place each night through the weekend from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.

"The curfew has played a key role in helping to restore order, particularly by curbing the criminal activity that was largely ocurring during the evening hours," said LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell.

LAPD will continue to operate under a Unified Command with the L.A. County Sheriff's Department, CHP and the Los Angeles Fire Department.

"The coordinated approach ensures that we're sharing intelligence, aligning resources and responding quickly and effectively as conditions continue to evolve," McDonnell said.

The chief reminded everyone planning to protest this weekend to do so peacefully.

"Help us to ensure that the focus remains on the message and not on mayhem," he said.

"We do not want violent agitators out there destroying property or committing acts of violence, specifically against our police officers, deputy sheriff's and CHP officers," said L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna.

Sheriff Luna said he has had 10 deputies injured as a result of these agitators' actions, which at times have involved rocks, Molotov cocktails and commercial pyrotechnics.

The sheriff added that as the lead Mutual Aid coordinator for Los Angeles County, he is in constant communication with other law enforcement agencies, including representatives from the California Office of Emergency Services, and conducts daily checks to ensure any required needs are met.

"So we are coordinating these requests, asking for additional personnel, not always only to be deployed but to be staged at strategic locations around this area to make sure that we are going to respond when our partners need us," Luna said.

Sheriff Luna said the agency is at about 170% over what they normally staff for the weekend, just to be prepared for the events this weekend that not only include over 30 planned demonstrations, but two major soccer matches at SoFi Stadium, and added vigilance stemming from the Israel-Iran conflict.

"We have activated special response teams, which are specially trained officers, and they will all be activated, working throughout the state of California," said CHP Deputy Commissioner Ezery Beauchamp.

Beauchamp said the CHP is on tactical alert in L.A. County, meaning that all days off for CHP officers are canceled.

"So that we can provide the highest level of safety and service to everyone here in Los Angeles County, and so that we're ready to stand with our law enforcement partners tomorrow in ensuring that safe events take place here in Los Angeles County," Beauchamp said.

CHP officers will be on active patrol throughout the state looking for areas of concern to ensure everyone remains safe, according to Beauchamp. He added that CHP will be flying their patrol aircraft to make sure demonstrations remain safe, as well as for the safety of law enforcement officers.

A rally is scheduled to take place in downtown Riverside Saturday at 5:30 p.m. near the intersection of Market and University.

"We're expecting a peaceful event. Our job as law enforcement is to help facilitate a safe and peaceful environment for anyone coming out to express their First Amendment rights, that's what we're going to do," said Riverside Police Officer Ryan Railsback. "If you're going to come here and try to harm our businesses, or try to harm law enforcement, we're not going to tolerate that, we're going to take the appropriate action that needs to be taken."

One of the largest SoCal demonstrations is set to begin around 10 a.m. in Grand Park in downtown L.A.

Watch the full news conference below:

Law enforcement leaders discuss preparations ahead of weekend protests across Southern California.

As anti-ICE protests continue popping up all across Southern California, video from Anaheim Thursday night showed demonstrators near Angel Stadium carrying signs and chanting.

Flash bangs and fireworks were also heard.

Anaheim police said there were no arrests related to this demonstration and that no use of force was used.

Meanwhile, the late-night curfew in downtown Los Angeles has been extended and will take place each night through the weekend - which is impact some events in that area.

Forty-nine people were arrested in downtown L.A. on Thursday night: 33 for failure to disperse, 13 arrests for curfew violation, one for resisting a police officer and one for pointing a laser at an airship, the LAPD said.

One person was arrested on a robbery warrant following a detention for curfew, police said.

Over 500 people have been arrested in Los Angeles since the protests began one week ago.

As anti-ICE protests continue popping up all across Southern California, video from Anaheim Thursday night showed demonstrators near Angel Stadium carrying signs and chanting.

With a court decision pending on the fate of National Guard troops deployed in the city, U.S. Marines on Friday were expected to begin protecting the federal building in Westwood amid continuing protests over ongoing immigration raids in the Southland.

Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman, commander of Task Force 51 -- the contingent of 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines ordered to deploy to the city by President Donald Trump -- said 200 Marines will take their positions Friday afternoon protecting the federal building in Westwood. The move will free up National Guard troops -- who have been primarily protecting federal property over the past week of unrest -- to serving a more protective role for federal agents conduction enforcement operations in the field.

"I would like to emphasize that the soldiers will not participate in law enforcement activities," Sherman told reporters during a morning briefing. "Rather, they'll be focused on protecting federal law enforcement personnel."

Some 200 U.S. Marines are deploying to Westwood to protect the federal building amid protests over ongoing immigration raids.

Sherman said some National Guard troops have already been doing protective work for federal agents conducting immigration enforcement activities, but they have not engaged in any police-type work or made any arrests or detentions.

The arrival of the Marines comes one day after a federal judge in Northern California ordered Trump to return control of the California National Guard to Gov. Gavin Newsom. Trump federalized 2,000 National Guard troops last weekend as nightly protests were held in downtown Los Angeles in response to raids being carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Trump later added another 2,000 troops to the order.

Newsom and other local leaders vehemently objected to the troop deployment, arguing it was unnecessary and would heighten tensions and potentially lead to more violent protests.

In Thursday's ruling, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco wrote that Trump's actions federalizing National Guard troops -- who are normally under the control of the governor -- did not follow congressionally mandated procedure.

"His actions were illegal -- both exceeding the scope of his statutory authority and violating the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution," the judge wrote. "He must therefore return control of the California National Guard to the Governor of the State of California forthwith."

Hours later, Breyer's ruling was stayed by a three-judge appellate panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in response to a Trump administration notice of appeal, temporarily keeping the National Guard troops under federal control pending another hearing on Tuesday.

City News Service contributed to this report.

The late-night curfew in downtown Los Angeles has been extended and will take place each night through the weekend, which is impacting some events in that area.

Some shows have been granted exemptions and will go on as planned Friday night.

But Saturday's performances of "Hamlet" at the Mark Taper Forum have been canceled.

The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA will be closed for the remainder of the week with several performances canceled.

The late-night curfew in downtown Los Angeles has been extended and will take place each night through the weekend - which is impact some events in that area.

There's also a big soccer match set to take place at SoFi Stadium Saturday. The Concacaf says the tournament is set to go on as scheduled, but it is monitoring planned protests.

L.A. Mayor Karen Bass says the curfews could last for several days.