A stun gun, pepper spray, knives and mace have been recovered by police after violent clashes between Antifa and Proud Boys during a tra...
A stun gun, pepper spray, knives and mace have been recovered by police after violent clashes between Antifa and Proud Boys during a transgender rights protest outside a Los Angeles spa Saturday, which saw 40 people arrested, police said.
The Los Angeles Police Department said they found the weapons outside the Wi Spa in Koreatown where transgender rights activists and far-right protestors clashed over the spa's trans-inclusive policy allowing trans women to use women’s facilities.
The protests stemmed from a video that circulated online earlier this month, in which an irate customer complained to the staff at Wi Spa about a transgender woman's exposed genitalia in the women's section of the spa.
The video sparked controversy after the spa defended its policy of allowing transgender customers into women-only facilities.
Transgender rights activists and far-right protestors clashed over the spa's trans-inclusive policy allowing trans women to use women’s facilities
A stun gun, pepper spray, knives and mace have been recovered by police after protests outside the spa
Officers fired rubber bullets to disperse the unruly crowd. A video shows one person being hit in the stomach
LAPD released this statement on Twitter along with pictures of what was confiscated
On Saturday, Los Angeles Police Department fired non-lethal projectiles to disperse the unruly mob, which became violent when Antifa members joined the trans rights demonstration and clashed with Proud Boys outside the spa.
Thirty nine of the arrests were for failure to disperse, LAPD told DailyMail.com
One person was arrested for carrying a prohibited item at Saturday's protest, which marked the second weekend of violent protests this month within the streets surrounding Wi Spa.
LAPD said in a statement on Twitter on Saturday night that smoke bombs and other projectiles were thrown at officers trying to break up the crowd.
The Los Angeles Police Department said they found the weapons outside the Wi Spa in Koreatown
Antifa members joined the trans rights demonstration and clashed with Proud Boys outside the spa
Police declared an unlawful assembly in front of the spa in Koreatown around 11am
Detective Meghan Aguilar, a spokeswoman for the LAPD, said no officer was injured and no protester was transported to hospitals
Videos emerged showing police in full riot gear pushing protesters back with batons
Videos emerged on social media showing police in full riot gear pushing protesters back with batons. Another video shows an officer firing a rubber bullet at someone from close range.
Other video shows buildings covered in graffiti.
A Guardian reporter covering the protest said that she was shoved to the ground and attacked by a protester she was trying to interview.
'Just got thrown to the ground by right-wing anti-pedophile protesters as a crowd converged on me and chased me,' reporter Lois Beckett said on Twitter with a video of the assault. 'They threw water at me and screamed about Jesus and said to grab my phone. Police would not let me through the police line but after I got thrown on the ground they did.'
The free-for-all scene that played out in downtown LA stemmed from a video that was posted on Instagram earlier this month of an irate customer complaining to Wi Spa staff that a transgender woman was in the women's section of the spa.
VIDEO WARNING: GRAPHIC LANGUAGE
Several weapons were discovered on the ground at a transgender rights protest that took place outside a Los Angeles spa Saturday, where 40 people were arrested, police have confirmed. Pictured in this photo, Wi Spa in the Koreatown neighborhood of Los Angeles, Ca
Earlier this month, a transgender woman allegedly disrobed at the spa, infuriating another customer who filmed herself complaining about incident, which some suspected to being fake, Slate reported
The video sparked controversy after the spa defended its policy of allowing transgender customers in its facilities, including its hot tubs (pictured).
'Cubanaangel' wrote this post to go with the Instagram video that was posted earlier this month. It's gained traction in recent weeks and sparked outrage and the protest on Saturday
The Instagram user - 'cubanaangel' - ranted to staff for over three minutes.
'Wi Spa allows a man into women's wet spa section where all the women are naked, mothers with their young daughters and teens,' 'cubanaangel' wrote.
'The Wi Spa allowed the man access just because he calls himself a woman. This man was naked exposing his testicles and penis slinging left to right in front of young girls, teens and grown women. What is our world coming to.'
Suspicion about the authenticity of the video was raised after people noted that the video cuts out as the woman marches downstairs to confront this person she’s allegedly seen, but never shows the trans woman.
Police grew to suspect a hoax after failing to find witnesses who saw a trans woman at the spa, and Wi Spa claims none of their trans clients had scheduled appointments that day.
On Saturday, police declared an unlawful assembly in front of the spa in Koreatown around 11am, when demonstrators against transgender access to the spa's facilities clashed with counter protesters.
Detective Meghan Aguilar, a spokeswoman for the LAPD, said no officer was injured and no protester was transported to hospitals.
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