1 of 3 | U.S. Marines deployed to Los Angeles stopped and detained an American citizen trying to enter a federal building this week, as protests over federal immigration raids in that city (pictured) continue to escalate. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo
June 14 (UPI) — Local police deployed pepper spray and non-lethal munitions late Saturday afternoon in Los Angeles as the “No Kings” protest there began to devolve into a more confrontational event.
Many protesters refused to leave local streets after being warned by local police, who then deployed the gas and non-lethal munitions at about 5 p.m. PDT.
The city still has an 8 p.m. curfew that lasts until 6 a.m., so the protest is scheduled to end when the curfew takes effect.
The California National Guard and Marines remain deployed in Los Angeles to help temper unrest in that city.
The Marines earlier in the day stopped and detained an American citizen trying to enter a federal building.
The man was trying to enter a Veterans Affairs office inside the Wilshire Federal Building in the city’s Sawtelle neighborhood when he was stopped earlier this week by Marines sent to protect the property amid protests over immigration raids.
This marks the first time during the current unrest that military troops have detained a U.S citizen.
The 27-year-old U.S. Army veteran was released after a short time.
“They treated me very fairly,” Marcos Leao told the New York Times following the incident, adding headphones at first prohibited him from hearing the Marines giving him verbal commands to stop.
U.S. Northern Command confirmed to The Hill, the Marines “temporarily detained a civilian earlier today” under Title 10 of the United States Code governing detention by the armed forces.