Los Angeles, CA – June 10, 2025 – Chaos engulfed Los Angeles’ historic Chinatown district in the early hours of Tuesday, June 10, 2025, when anti-ICE protests spiraled into widespread looting, with over 200 individuals recorded breaking into stores along North Broadway and Hill Street. A Royol News exclusive video, captured at approximately 2:09 AM, shows a large crowd surging through the vibrant neighborhood, shattering storefront windows and ransacking businesses as protests against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids reached a fever pitch. Click Here To Watch The Video
The unrest followed days of escalating demonstrations sparked by ICE’s aggressive operations across Los Angeles, which began on June 6 and targeted immigrant-heavy areas like the Garment District and Westlake. The Royol News footage reveals looters, some masked and carrying makeshift tools, prying open shop doors and grabbing merchandise, including clothing, electronics, and food items, from establishments in Chinatown’s bustling commercial corridor. Local business owners reported significant losses, with one shopkeeper estimating damages exceeding $50,000. “This is our livelihood,” said a tearful store owner who requested anonymity. “We support our community, and now we’re left with nothing.”
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), already stretched thin by protests that drew over 5,000 people downtown on June 7-11, struggled to respond to the looting in Chinatown. By the time officers arrived, many looters had dispersed into nearby neighborhoods. The LAPD reported 23 businesses looted across downtown Los Angeles that night, with Chinatown among the hardest hit. Mayor Karen Bass, who imposed a downtown curfew from 8:00 PM to 6:00 AM starting June 10, condemned the vandalism, stating, “We reached a tipping point after widespread looting and destruction. This curfew is to stop the chaos.”
Posts on X amplified the incident, with some users claiming the looting was fueled by social media calls to target Chinatown after ICE agents were reportedly spotted in the area earlier that day. One post described rioters “hurling dinner plates at cars” during a violent clash with ICE, though these claims remain unverified. The deployment of 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 U.S. Marines, ordered by President Trump to curb the unrest, further inflamed tensions, with California Governor Gavin Newsom calling the federal response “an authoritarian overreach.”
Chinatown, a cultural hub for Los Angeles’ Asian American community, has faced economic challenges in recent years, and residents fear the looting will deter visitors and exacerbate recovery efforts. The LAPD arrested 29 individuals on charges including looting and vandalism, with additional arrests expected as investigators review the Royol News video and other surveillance footage. Community leaders, including the Chinatown Business Improvement District, are calling for increased police presence and federal aid to support affected merchants.
As Los Angeles grapples with the aftermath of the protests, which have spread to cities like New York and Austin, the looting in Chinatown underscores the deepening divide over immigration enforcement. With a curfew in effect and National Guard troops patrolling downtown, authorities urge residents to avoid the area and report suspicious activity as the city braces for further unrest.
