Occupy L.A.: 292 arrested in camp shutdown
Los Angeles police said 292 people were arrested early Wednesday morning when they closed down the Occupy L.A. encampment.
A total of 290 people were arrested for failure to disperse. One person was arrested for interfering with an officer and another was arrested for battery on an officer. Bail was set at $5,000 for those who allegedly failed to disperse, and a spokesman for the protesters said most of them were prepared to make bail.
Overnight, more than 1,400 police swooped in to clear out the encampment on the lawn surrounding City Hall.
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Police arrived in force and within minutes had encircled the park. Most protesters chose to leave on their own, but others remained behind.
"I said that here in L.A. we'd chart a different path, and we did," Villaraigosa said.
The mayor credited Beck's community-policing approach, noting that the chief and his officers had established a relationship with the Occupy protesters at the beginning of the encampment.
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Photo: LAPD officers arrest an Occupy L.A. protester at the encampment Wednesday. Credit: Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times
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