CHP, in tactical gear, arrest demonstrators on live TV during protest of LA mom of 4 getting evicted

Cops arrest demonstrators in eviction protest

Armed law enforcement officers are making arrests after the eviction protests took a tense turn in El Sereno.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. - Tense moments were captured on live TV as armed California Highway Patrol officers began arresting demonstrators protesting against the eviction of a mom of four in Los Angeles County.

The arrests come as community members protested outside an El Sereno home on Wednesday, where Thelma McKinley and her four kids – ages 4, 5, 9 and 13 – faced eviction after living there since 2021.

The protest lasted almost an entire day, as demonstrators tried to block CHP from personally evicting the family. Around 11 p.m., law enforcement appeared to have enough – armed officers stormed into the home and arrested protesters along the way.

Prior to the arrests, the protesters had been hanging out with blankets and sleeping bags to show solidarity for Thelma and her family. Long before the tense 11 p.m. encounter between CHP and protesters, Thelma moved out of the home Wednesday afternoon and is temporarily staying with family.

Housing program eviction protesters removed

Temporary housing advocates were trying to prevent a mother of four from being evicted.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Mother of 4 evicted after transitional housing period runs out, community protests

At the time of the protests, temporary housing advocates called the eviction process cruel.

"It’s inhumane for HACLA (The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles) and their management to just throw people in the streets when they’re using public resources," said Fanny Guzman from El Sereno Community Land Trust told FOX 11 earlier in the evening.

Thelma's now-former home is owned by Caltrans, hence the enforcement from CHP.