DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Multiple people were cited when demonstrators faced off with law enforcement in downtown Los Angeles on Friday night.
The demonstration began earlier Friday with supporters demanding the release of ICU nurse and community activist, Amanda Trebach. Los Angeles police said an unlawful assembly was declared due to the aggressive nature of a few demonstrators.
Trebach was documenting the actions of immigration agents when she was taken into custody in San Pedro on Friday morning, but witnesses say she did nothing to provoke them.
Her aggressive arrest was captured on camera outside Terminal Island.
According to LAPD, 16 people were cited for unlawful assembly and released, including one juvenile.
Two people were also detained and questioned for pretending to be media, but were released and not cited, according to LAPD.
Trebach was on a community patrol with Unión del Barrio outside the Terminal Island staging area for ICE. Witnesses say she was holding a sign when she was suddenly confronted by agents.
“They charged at her and she dropped the poster. The agents are claiming that she attacked them with that poster, and we know that that is not true,” said Cynthia Avina with Unión del Barrio. “They are making false claims to try to intimidate us, to try to stop us from doing the work that we’re doing.”
Unión del Barrio members rallied outside the federal detention center downtown, demanding Trebach’s immediate release.
Her arrest happened as federal agents continue to conduct raids across Southern California.
Many say the Department of Homeland Security’s actions are in violation of a temporary restraining order preventing federal agents from racial profiling. Several other local cities are now joining the county and city of Los Angeles in suing the federal government over the immigration raids across SoCal.
“We will defend the rights, dignity and safety of every resident in our communities, especially our immigrant neighbors,” said Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson. Long Beach is among the cities that joined the lawsuit.
There’s no word on what charges Trebach may be facing.
Copyright © 2025 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.
