A protest over rent and wages turned violent Thursday when California Highway Patrol officers tried to remove demonstrators from a state office building in downtown Los Angeles.
The chaos ensued as union organizers and supporters of the Alliance for Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE) rallied in front of the Ronald Reagan State Building on South Spring Street.
The group is calling on Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign Senate Bill 567, making it more difficult for landlords to evict tenants.
Video recorded by a KTLA photojournalist shows a CHP officer escorting a demonstrator from the lobby of the building and attempting to close the front doors behind him.
When another protestor, a man in a yellow shirt, tries to hold one of the doors open, the officer shoves him and they both eventually fall to the ground.
Video shows the officer pulling out his service weapon while grasping his left knee after suffering an apparent injury. Another officer helps him up, and both disappear into the building.
One protestor was detained as a result of the confrontation.
A CHP spokesperson said the agency is preparing a statement about the incident.
