LOS ANGELES (CNS) -- A two-phased internal investigation will be conducted to determine if Los Angeles police violated policy by firing foam bullets and using batons to clear pro-immigration protesters and media members from MacArthur Park, Chief William Bratton said today.
''I regret and am, as are all of you, disturbed by the events so vividly depicted in the various news report videos,'' Bratton said at a City Hall news conference.
''Police use of force in any context is always visibly and emotionally upsetting, even when necessary and lawful,'' the chief said. ''Our challenge in reviewing and investigating the actions of the department and its officers and that of the public is to determine if that use of force was an appropriate response to the level of threat, disturbance and danger that they are encountering.
''My commitment to you, members of the media and the residents of this city is to meet that challenge,'' he said.
Bratton said he met with members of his command staff last night after seeing news footage showing officers in riot gear striking protesters and some media members to the ground with batons and firing foam bullets into the crowd.
He said the LAPD will create an ''after-action report'' that will evaluate the department's planning for handling the immigration protests and the decision-making during the event. That report will be the foundation of a report that will be delivered to the City Council in 30 days.
The department will also conduct a use-of-force investigation to determine if officers responded appropriately, Bratton said.
City Council President Eric Garcetti said the Police Commission will also conduct its own probe of the incident.
Thousands of people took part in yesterday's immigration rallies. The first rally moved through the streets of downtown Los Angeles, ending with a demonstration at City Hall. Later in the day, the protest moved to MacArthur Park.
The demonstration remained generally peaceful until sometime after 6 p.m. Bratton said a group of 50 to 100 ''agitators'' began spilling into the Alvarado Street and throwing rocks, food and other items at the officers.
Eight officers suffered minor injuries, including one officer who was pushed from his motorcycle, Bratton said.
Police, clad in riot gear, responded by marching in line to disperse the crowd. Some officers were seen on video pushing people -- including reporters and photojournalists -- to the ground. In addition to the injured officers, at least 10 other people were hurt.
Television cameras captured footage of a crowd, apparently prodded by police, sweeping through a live broadcast by a Telemundo reporter, injuring some employees of the Spanish-language station.
An officer can be seen knocking down a cameraman, then grabbing the camera and tossing it to the ground.
A Telemundo anchor said the police action in response to the behavior of some demonstrators was disproportionate. One reporter who was at the scene said a police order to clear the park was boomed from a helicopter only after officers on the ground began moving against demonstrators and journalists.
KTTV reporter Christina Gonzalez said she was shoved and laughed at by police after she came to the defense of a camera operator who was pushed to the ground by an officer's club.
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and council members today called on Bratton to conduct an ''immediate and transparent'' probe into the officers' conduct.
Villaraigosa, who was on a trade mission in San Salvador, El Salvador, called the melee ''a sad end to a very peaceful and positive day.''
''I have reviewed the extensive video of the incident, and like every Angeleno, I am obviously and deeply concerned,'' Villaraigosa said. ''Any time that our law enforcement officials employ force, the public has an absolute and unqualified right to expect and demand an aggressive review of the facts. This review is already under way.''
Bratton was scheduled today to join Villaraigosa in El Salvador, but the mayor asked him to stay in town to oversee the internal LAPD investigation.
Despite the television footage, Bob Baker, president of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, called on the public to avoid a ''rush to judgment.''
''As Chief Bratton says, `Sometimes policing isn't pretty and there is little if any time for reflection and discussion before action,''' said Baker, whose union represents about 9,500 officers. ''The clash at MacArthur Park started when officers tried to disperse demonstrators who had moved off the sidewalk onto the street. Several people at the rally threw rocks and bottles at officers.
''Our officers gave a legal dispersal order and were met with violence,'' he said. ''In the coming days it will become clear what transpired.''
Some council members said, however, that they found the footage disturbing.
''It's very disconcerting to see what happened last night, knowing that there were children, there were families, there were folks out there trying to give an American message, a message that says all communities should be treated with respect,'' said Councilman Ed Reyes, whose 1st District includes MacArthur Park. ''But when you have a situation that deteriorates the way that it did ... you need to figure out how it happened.''
Reyes and Councilman Dennis Zine, a former LAPD motorcycle officer, asked that Bratton and the command staff who ordered officers to use the so- called ''less lethal'' weapons discuss the tactics during a council meeting next month.
''I think it's important we find out their state of mind,'' said Zine, who is still a reserve officer. ''We need to interview whoever was in charge to find out what led to that situation, which blew up into a confrontation between the police and the demonstrators.''
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