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LOS ANGELES – The director of the Los Angeles Police Department’s union slammed city and state leadership while issuing a stark warning to would-be anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement rioters.
Jamie McBride is an LAPD detective with 35 years of experience on the force. He now leads the Los Angeles Police Protective League, representing the city’s officers.
“If you come down here and you are not having a peaceful protest, if you resort to any type of violence, you will go to jail, we will find you. There’s plenty of cameras out there,” McBride told Fox News Digital.
McBride said that LAPD officers are holding up well during the riots, which were sparked by recent arrests of criminal illegal immigrants in the city, but that police intend to crack down hard on bad actors who cause trouble in the city.
A Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputy stands on the perimeter of LAPD headquarters Tuesday afternoon as the city prepares for a fourth night of riots. (Peter D’Abrosca for Fox News Digital)
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“If somebody does come down here and thinks it’s a good idea to assault a police officer or do some kind of criminal activity, once we arrest you and we use the reasonable force necessary to take you into custody, I don’t want to see anybody crying afterwards,” he said.
“If you’re an adult, come down and do stupid stuff, then you’re going to have the consequence of going to jail. So just understand that. You come down, and you want to play, we will take you to jail and if we gotta use force, we’ll use the appropriate force to take you into custody.”
He also said that Los Angeles’ new district attorney, Nathan Hochman, is ready to prosecute rioters, unlike his predecessor, George Gascon, who McBride viewed as much softer on crime.
Police detain a protester blocking the garage entrance of the Los Angeles Federal Building following multiple detentions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in downtown Los Angeles, California, U.S., June 6, 2025. (REUTERS/Daniel Cole)
“We have a great DA now who’s tough on crime,” he said. “He’s already made that stance. So if you get arrested for any type of criminal activity during this rioting that’s going on here in Los Angeles, I have full confidence our district attorney – that he will prosecute to fullest.”
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McBride also slammed California’s leadership, especially Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has fought President Donald Trump’s deployment of the National Guard and U.S. Marines to the city to quell and deter violence. Federal help, McBride said, would be greatly appreciated by the LAPD.
Members of the Los Angeles Metro Police clash with demonstrators during a protest against federal immigration sweeps in downtown Los Angeles, California, U.S. June 8, 2025. (REUTERS/Daniel Cole)
“Absolute idiot,” he said of Newsom. “I mean, look at the way California is right now. We are, you know, high in taxes. And then of course, we’re high in crime.”
“Because you know this state is just soft on crime, Gavin Newsom is driving that narrative as well,” said McBride. “Of course, now that he’s getting ready for a 2028 presidential run, he’s trying to reinvent himself. But really, Gavin Newsom is part of the problem here. He’s pouring fuel on the fire.”
Newsom is expected by some to be a Democratic Party candidate during the next presidential election cycle.
A rioter waves a Mexican national flag next to a car on fire during a protest following federal immigration operations, in the Compton neighborhood of Los Angeles, California on June 7, 2025. (Getty Images)
He was also critical of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
“Well, I think Mayor Bass is overwhelmed right now. I think she’s being a little too political. She needs to come out and tell everybody this needs to stop immediately,” he said. “And if she has to ask for help from President Trump, then do so, because I’m afraid this weekend coming up, we might see some more of this going on.”
“I think she should step up and say that we are having a riot situation here, and if we need mutual aid, then please send mutual aid so we can combat this problem.”
Diana Crofts-Pelayo, a spokeswoman for Newsom, told Fox News Digital that violent crime and property crime in California have declined in recent years, and that other states have higher homicide rates than California.
She also said that California’s taxes are “near the national average for most.”
Bass’ office did not return a comment request.
