LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell responded to mayoral candidate Nithya Raman's criticisms of the police department by recounting his personal experiences during protests where 52 officers were assaulted. He defended the use of tear gas, stating it prevented more severe confrontations that could have resulted in fatalities. McDonnell also clarified the LAPD’s policy against collaborating with ICE on immigration enforcement while emphasizing its partnerships with other federal agencies for different types of investigations and operations.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-09,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Nithya Raman, a Democratic Socialist and Los Angeles city councilmember running for mayor, faced backlash after posting a now-deleted social media video where she called LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell "a fascist liar" with a red X through his face. The incident occurred during an interview at the Los Angeles Trade-Technical College on Sunday, April 30th.
The Los Angeles Police Protective League, representing rank-and-file LAPD officers, criticized Raman's actions as dangerous and potentially endangering police protection details assigned to city officials like Mayor Karen Bass and Chief McDonnell.
Mayor Karen Bass accused Raman of being "incredibly irresponsible" and not ready for prime time. Chief Jim McDonnell defended his department against allegations that the LAPD helps ICE enforce immigration laws, stating instead they protect federal agents from threats while not participating in immigration enforcement themselves. He also highlighted how 52 officers were injured during violent protests over ICE raids in June 2025.
Critics argue Raman's comments undermine public trust and safety by targeting police leadership as "fascist liars."
Written for “Nithya Raman Controversy LAPD” on 2026-10-09,
grounded in this article and the 6 other(s) covering the same event.
LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell fired back at radical mayoral hopeful Nithya Raman’s attacks on police over their handling of ICE raids in Los Angeles last year — saying he was there as violent protesters unleashed chaos on the city and 52 officers were assaulted by protesters.
asserted
officers → fire → protesters
Raman has vowed to fire McDonnell for not doing enough to stop ICE from nabbing illegal migrants in the city.
asserted
Raman → vow → city
She’s also come under fire for suggesting McDonnell and theLAPD are ”fascist liars.'
asserted
McDonnell → come → fire
“I was out there,” McDonnell told The Post in a pointed reference to Raman’s happy hour drinks session as the city burned.
asserted
city → tell → session
“I don’t know that people who are criticizing us were anywhere near there.”
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who → know → us
Asked about Raman’s “fascist” comments, McDonnell said he usually tries to brush off attacks to avoid distraction.
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he → ask → distraction
“It’s very disappointing to me that we have to deal with that,” he said.
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he → ’ → that
“In the second-largest city in America, we expect more than that.”
asserted
we → expect → that
McDonnell defended the officers who confronted the unrest, describing a barrage of weapons he said could have left members of his force dead.
uncertain
he → defend → force
“They were being assaulted by commercial-grade fireworks, which can kill you.
asserted
which → assault → you
Those can be lethal,” he said.
asserted
he → say → ?
“We were in a position where we had no choice but to defend ourselves, and we always try and use the least amount of force possible.”
asserted
we → have → force
He also described Molotov cocktails, ATVs driven into police skirmish lines — as well as rocks, pieces of curb, bolts, batteries and frozen water bottles hurled at officers.
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He → describe → officers
The chief said cops deployed tear gas to prevent confrontations from escalating into a deadly-force situation.
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cops → say → situation
“So, in effect, by doing that, we saved lives,” he said.
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he → do → lives
McDonnell said he feared a deadly encounter in Los Angeles would have repercussions across the country.
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encounter → say → country
What we do here matters,” he said.
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he → matter → What
He also pushed back against suggestions that the LAPD helps ICE enforce immigration laws, saying the department’s policy against immigration enforcement dates to 1979.
“We’re very comfortable at LAPD telling anybody that we do not work with ICE on immigration issues,” he said.
asserted
he → push → issues
He distinguished that policy from the department’s partnerships with other federal agencies, including the FBI, DEA, ATF and Marshals Service, and its work with Homeland Security Investigations on human trafficking.
asserted
He → distinguish → trafficking
McDonnell noted the department was “woefully understaffed,” with roughly 8,500 officers, but that crime was down in every category and officer-involved shootings had fallen 53% this year.
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shootings → note → category
He rejected the argument that falling crime means the city needs fewer cops.
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city → reject → cops
“Well, how much crime is acceptable?” he asked.
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he → ask → ?
“I would say none if you’re going to be one of the victims, or a loved one be a victim.”
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one → say → victims
Asked what the next mayor should do to support the department, McDonnell urged anyone seeking to lead Los Angeles to study policing firsthand, take ride-alongs and speak with officers.
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anyone → ask → officers
“It’s easy to be able to make a judgment on something you don’t know about and be very sure of yourself,” he said.
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he → ’ → yourself
His advice to anyone seeking a leadership role: “Get to know the issues.”
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advice → seek → issues
McDonnell warned that officers’ morale suffers when they feel unsupported by city leaders and the community, particularly when staffing is stretched.
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staffing → warn → leaders
“We go out there every day and we adapt and overcome and move on, and the results, I think, speak for themselves,” he said.
asserted
he → go → themselves
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