Trayvon Protesters Raid LA Walmart

LAPD promises crackdown after protest turns violent
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 16, 2013 4:17 AM CDT
Mayor Pleads for Calm as Trayvon Protests Shake LA
A protester stomps on a van during a demonstration in Los Angeles yesterday.   (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Police in Los Angeles made at least 13 arrests and the city's new mayor appealed for calm after protests over the George Zimmerman verdict turned violent last night, with demonstrators breaking windows, attacking passers-by, and jumping on cars. More than 300 LAPD officers swarmed the city's Crenshaw District after a group of around 150 people broke off from a peaceful demonstration to cause havoc, reports the New York Times. A Walmart store was raided and a TV reporter and his cameraman were among those attacked.

LAPD Chief Charlie Beck says his officers will be taking a more aggressive approach to protests starting today, the Los Angeles Times reports. "This will not be allowed to continue," he said. Mayor Eric Garcetti, who cut short a trip to the East Coast because of the protests, praised the "overwhelming majority" of protesters who remained peaceful and urged others to respect Trayvon Martin's family's call for peace. Further north in Oakland, at least six protesters were arrested for vandalism and assault after protesters briefly blocked a major freeway, the AP reports. (More Los Angeles stories.)

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