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Protesters Arrested, National Guard Deployed In Downtown LA

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) - The National Guard was in place Sunday evening in support of the LAPD as protesters gathered on the steps of City Hall in downtown Los Angeles despite a countywide curfew order.

CBSLA reporter Jeff Nguyen shared a video on Twitter on demonstrators peacefully urging police to "take a knee."

The National Guard were deployed to the L.A. area overnight Sunday hours after protests denouncing the deadly arrest of George Floyd turned into vandalism, fires and looting.

After multiple warnings to the crowd, police began taking people who violated the curfew into custody around 8:30 p.m.

Roughly 1,000 guard personnel began arriving overnight Sunday after Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for all of L.A. County.

While Mayor Eric Garcetti was hopeful that the deployment of the National Guard to the city would be a "very short visit," no official timeline for the deployment was announced.

A countywide state of emergency was also announced Sunday by Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger.

Officials earlier Sunday night announced all Los Angeles Superior Court courthouses will be closed Monday "in the interest of public safety".

All 38 Superior Court courthouses will be closed tomorrow due to the ongoing unrest and protests against police brutality.

"Out of an abundance of caution, I am taking the extraordinary step of closing our courthouses tomorrow (Monday) to protect the safety of the public, judicial officers and employees," Presiding Judge Kevin C. Brazile said in a statement Sunday night. "This is not a decision I make lightly. But public safety is always our paramount concern."

It was not immediately clear how long the closure will last.

The situation will be reevaluated Monday.

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