LAPD’s use of officers on horseback during protests draws complaints about use of force

During the recent protests against immigration raids, the Los Angeles Police Department deployed officers on horseback to control and disperse crowds, drawing criticism from some civil rights groups who say the mounted units unnecessarily harmed demonstrators.

Those critics also say the department has a history of using officers on horseback to “charge” at people while using batons to strike at them.

Videos shared on social media and on TV news show members of the LAPD Metro Mounted Platoon using horses to force protesters back from the downtown L.A. Civic Center and, in at least one case, their horses appear to step on or trample a protester.

Last week, the National Lawyers Guild and the Los Angeles Community Action Networks sent a letter to L.A. Mayor Karen Bass and Police Chief Jim McDonnell criticizing the LAPD’s handling of the protests, alleging that their actions violated court rulings intended to limit police use of force.

The letter, signed by attorney Carol Sobel, mentions video of recent protests and notes other similar incidents dating back decades. In one of those incidents, Sobel describes LAPD officers on horseback outside the Democratic National Convention in 2000, who “charged people, trampling them with the horses and swinging batons in strikes to the head.”

It also mentions a May Day demonstration in 2007 in which police pushed protesters back from MacArthur Park. A lawsuit against the city from that protest resulted in reforms to officer training, including on how officers' use of horses affects crowd control.

The city’s response

LAist reached out to the Mayor’s Office and the Police Department for comment. Bass has not answered questions about whether she had seen the letter or if she has responded to the organizations that sent it.

The LAPD also did not respond to LAist.

When asked about the alleged trampling incident, the police chief said briefly last week at a news conference that he was aware of the situation but disputed how it had been described.

“The horse didn't trample the person,” McDonnell said, citing the video and adding that the horse appeared to be walking around the person.

He also noted that the investigation into the incident was incomplete.

On its website, the LAPD Metro Mounted Platoon says it is primarily dedicated to “crime prevention, crowd management, and handling demonstrations.”

An Instagram account for the mounted platoon depicts officers conducting patrols around downtown L.A. and engaging in community outreach activities.

Reaction to videos from protests

In the letter, Sobel objects to how the LAPD’s mounted unit responded to the recent protests, prompted by a series of federal immigration raids, among other complaints about the LAPD’s use of force.

“[H]ow could the horses be used in this manner 25 years after the DNC,” she wrote.

In other videos shared online, including one published by the Associated Press last week, several LAPD officers on horseback appear to charge at a crowd of protesters gathered on a lawn near the downtown Civic Center.

The video captured by ABC7 shows a protester lying on the ground while being encircled by four police officers on horseback. A firework can be seen exploding nearby, which appears to spook the horses.

One horse appears to kick the protester and another horse charges forward, making contact with the protester. In the video, an officer on horseback can be seen hitting the protester on the head once with a baton. Then another officer pulls the protester to the ground and restrains them.

At a Police Commission meeting this week, several members of the public complained about the LAPD’s use of force — including its mounted unit — during the recent protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement sweeps. Some commenters specifically mentioned the video in which a person appeared to have been trampled.

Commission President Erroll Southers said at the meeting that the department is investigating officers who have received complaints, but that neither the commission nor the chief would comment on specific incidents.

“ I want to stress that a lack of a robust response today does not indicate an absolution to this behavior,” Southers said.