Los Angeles mayor announces curfew in downtown area

LOS ANGELES -- Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced Tuesday evening that the second largest city in the United States has imposed a curfew in the downtown area from local time 8:00 pm (0300 GMT Wednesday) to 6:00 am (1300 GMT) Wednesday.

The curfew would cover about 1 square mile, Bass said.

She said that the local authorities imposed the limited curfew in response to looting and vandalism that occurred downtown Monday night, following largely peaceful daytime protests.

The curfew exempts residents of the designated area, homeless individuals, credentialed media and public safety or emergency officials, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

Bass announced the curfew as protests against raids by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement stretched into the fifth day, with local media reporting demonstrators surged onto the 101 Freeway, blocking traffic in both directions, shortly before the order was issued.