Curfew imposed in Los Angeles County as looting erupts in Santa Monica and Long Beach

People clean up damage done by looters in a Los Angeles shop.
(Image credit: Warrick Page/Getty Images)

After a day of peaceful protests against the death of George Floyd, things took a turn in several cities across Los Angeles County on Sunday evening, as looters smashed windows and doors of businesses in Long Beach and Santa Monica.

Earlier in the day, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti imposed an overnight curfew of 8 p.m., in an attempt to control chaos in his city, but that was amended by Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva to a countywide order of 6 p.m.

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Police said that on Saturday night, 398 people were arrested in Los Angeles for burglary, looting, vandalism, failure to disperse, and curfew violations. Five police officers were injured, including two who were hospitalized; one of the officers was hit by a brick, and had to have skull surgery. Fires were set at the Grove mall, with looting at Nordstrom and other shops, and Garcetti said those who are participating in "destruction and looting" have "not just caused chaos and damage. They are hijacking a moment and a movement."

Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.