Tensions erupt across several protests in DTLA, Hollywood after Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade
Several officers hit with what appeared to be fireworks and projectiles as abortion rights activists clashed with law enforcement.
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Protesters flocked to downtown Los Angeles and Hollywood Friday evening enraged after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
Many demonstrators started protesting outside City Hall around 6 p.m. while other protests formed around the city.
AIR7 HD captured hundreds of protesters throughout the evening.
At around 6:54 p.m., protesters marched onto the northbound side of the in 110 Freeway at Fifth Street, holding signs and blocking traffic.
One man was seen prodding a large rod at a passing car.
One of the signs could be seen from above the protest that read "Post Roe Hell No."
Law enforcement began zoning in shortly after.
In Hollywood, the intersection on Highland Avenue and Hollywood Boulevard was blocked off by a large group and has since reopened. No incidents were reported.
Later in the evening, AIR7 HD captured what appeared to be protesters throwing what looked like fireworks at police.
The Los Angeles Police Department issued a dispersal order to the area of 4th Street and Main Street, asking citizens to stay away from the area.
Police in riot gear were confronted by several rowdy protesters, some throwing fireworks and items at authorities.
AIR7 HD showed a man getting dragged on the ground by police.
The LAPD said in a statement that they are "working closely with federal, state and local partners to access, assess and identify any potential threats related to this group and any other groups that may attempt to harm the public."
Protests built into the evening in a number of cities, including thousands demonstrating against the decision outside the barricaded Supreme Court.
At the White House, Biden said, "It's a sad day for the court and for the country." He urged voters to make it a defining issue in the November elections, declaring, "This decision must not be the final word."
The ruling came more than a month after the stunning leak of a draft opinion by Justice Samuel Alito indicating the court was prepared to take this momentous step.
Alito, in the final opinion issued Friday, wrote that Roe and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the 1992 decision that reaffirmed the right to abortion, were wrong had and to be overturned.
"We therefore hold that the Constitution does not confer a right to abortion. Roe and Casey must be overruled, and the authority to regulate abortion must be returned to the people and their elected representatives," Alito wrote, in an opinion that was very similar to the leaked draft.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
