Black Lives Matter demonstrators march through downtown Los Angeles protesting George Floyd’s death
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Wednesday, hundreds of people marched through downtown Los Angeles in a Black Lives Matter protest over the death of George Floyd, according to ABC affiliate KABC.
The march resulted in a violent confrontation with police and the shutting down of the 101 Freeway near downtown.
An estimated 500 to 1,000 people participated in the event, starting near city hall and then marching through downtown, KABC reports.
It appears the event was not cleared with city officials in advance as there was a minimal police presence in the area.
Crowds were blocking downtown streets in the area of Temple and Los Angeles streets as they carried signs and stood still in the intersection.
[ABC7 Los Angeles/KABC]
The crowds seem packed tightly together, with few people observing social distancing. The use of masks appeared to also only be sporadic.
At one point, dozens of protesters wandered onto a part of a road near downtown and surrounded a CHP cruiser. The cruiser tried to escape the crowd and someone smashed the back window with a skateboard, according to KABC.
As the car tried to flee, a man rode on the car for some time, then fell off and stayed motionless on the ground. A second CHP vehicle tried to assist and also had its window smashed.
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