'We're coming for you' - Sheriff Villanueva pledging crackdown on Santa Monica looters after curfew
As he pledged a crackdown on looters, Sheriff Alex Villanueva said he expects the county curfew to be imposed again Monday amid uncertainty over how long violence continues in Los Angeles.
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (KABC) -- Sheriff Alex Villanueva said he expects the county curfew to be imposed again Monday amid uncertainty over how long violence continues in Los Angeles.
Villanueva, dressed in tactical gear as he interacted with deputies stationed in Santa Monica, said the curfew gives deputies a tactical tool to help disperse crowds that have gotten unruly.
"We're going to evaluate day-by-day," Villanueva told ABC7. "For sure tonight. Most likely it's going to happen again tomorrow night. We'll see what happens after that."
Villanueva was careful to draw a distinction between peaceful protesters and those at the edge of crowds or blocks away who were looting and setting fires in Santa Monica.
"The people who want to make their voices heard did so peacefully, respecting the First Amendment rights and the property rights of other people," the sheriff said. "But all those businesses being damaged - those are livelihoods being damaged."
To those who remained long after curfew on the streets looting and provoking chaos, he had a simple message: "We're coming for you."
