New Delhi: Amid ongoing protests against immigration raids across California, chaos unfolded in downtown Los Angeles after a group of masked men looted an Apple store. They also vandalised several businesses, and clashed with law enforcement officers.
A video of the incident has gone viral on social media. It shows masked men smashing windows of the Apple store and fleeing with electronic gadgets moments before police arrived. The incident occurred as protests, sparked by a series of immigration arrests over the weekend, turned violent.
Cops caught a sh*t ton of looters at the Apple store in Los Angeles.
— Texas Patriot (@Texasbrn) June 10, 2025
Los Angeles on edge since Friday
Los Angeles has been on edge since Friday, when federal authorities ramped up immigration enforcement operations, detaining over 40 people across the city. While initial demonstrations remained peaceful, tensions escalated after Trump ordered the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops, with an additional 2,000 troops and 700 Marines en route. The deployment has been widely criticised by state officials, including California governor Gavin Newsom, who called it “reckless and disrespectful to our troops”.
Apple store in downtown LA being looted tonight pic.twitter.com/3k5i7wKiSG
— Brendan Gutenschwager (@BGOnTheScene) June 10, 2025
“Let me be clear: ANYONE who vandalised Downtown or looted stores does not care about our immigrant communities,” Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass said in a statement posted on X. “You will be held accountable.”
Other businesses also looted
Aside from the Apple store, looters also targeted an Adidas outlet, a local pharmacy, marijuana dispensaries, and jewellery stores. Graffiti covered windows, shelves were cleared, and several storefronts were left heavily damaged. At least 14 people have been arrested for looting so far. A total of over 100 arrests have been made over the past four days.
Meanwhile, amid the escalating violence, a curfew has been imposed in downtown Los Angeles.
Mayor Bass clarified that the violence has been confined to a limited area. “It is not all of downtown, and it is not all of the city,” she said at a press conference. “But the damage and violence are unacceptable.”
