As anti-ICE riots continue to shake Los Angeles, a former LAPD detective who served during the infamous 1992 Rodney King riots says history is repeating itself—and this time, Democrat Mayor Karen Bass is behind the curve.
Moses Castillo, who was a rookie during the ’92 riots, told Fox News Digital that the current crisis is being mishandled from the top down.
“She’s now trying to play catch up,” Castillo said of Bass. “I think if she would have been very more forceful in the beginning that we’re not gonna tolerate these crimes and allow police officers to do their job and arrest people on site, I’d think it would have be different. Instead, she’s now saying it now that these crimes would not be tolerated, looting would not tolerated. But it’s a little bit too late.”
Instead, what the public saw was hesitation. And by the time the mayor issued a curfew and stood before cameras to declare that the city would not tolerate disorder, Los Angeles had already been gripped by five straight nights of chaos.
BREAKING: The Pentagon has just confirmed to me that the Army soldier in this now viral video was discharged from the Texas national guard 5 years ago on June 5, 2020.
“Protesting or demonstrating in uniform is strictly forbidden under Army uniform code”
pic.twitter.com/sHQirmOBnX— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) June 11, 2025
President Donald Trump acted over the weekend, deploying thousands of California National Guard troops to the region as the violence escalated. On Monday, the U.S. Northern Command announced that 700 U.S. Marines would be mobilized to protect federal agents and property. Trump’s swift federal response drew predictable outrage from Governor Gavin Newsom, who has since sued the administration to block the troop deployment.
But the numbers don’t lie. According to LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell, 197 arrests were made on Tuesday alone. Protesters shut down parts of the 101 freeway, while commercial corridors saw widespread looting and destruction. Among the charges: assault with a deadly weapon on officers, arson, and even attempted murder with a Molotov cocktail.
For Castillo, this has become more than just a law enforcement issue—it’s a political football.
“I believe that both sides, the president, Governor Newsom, are using the media waves to attack one another,” Castillo said. “To me, that’s like going back to high school, really. I think they wanted to do is come to the table. Let’s have a face-to-face, let’s have a meeting, let’s hash out the issues, and let’s find solutions.” His call was simple: come to the table, face-to-face, and hash out solutions instead of sparring in the headlines.
Castillo emphasized that what’s happening now is a dangerous echo of 1992, but with a 21st-century twist: social media. “Back then, it took hours or even days for the footage to spread. Now it’s instant,” he said. “It’s easier than ever to mobilize flash mobs, stir emotions, and call people to action—even if that action means burning cities.”
