Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva told an interviewer Monday evening that he would alert the California National Guard to be ready to prevent rioting after an officer-involved shooting in Minnesota on Sunday was followed by a second night of rioting.
Daunte Wright, 20, was shot by Officer Kim Potter in Brooklyn Center after he resisted arrest. He had been pulled over in a routine traffic stop when police discovered there was a warrant for his arrest on an outstanding weapons charge.
On Sunday evening, there was looting in the Minneapolis suburb, which was repeated again on Monday evening. Earlier Monday, local L.A. officials appealed for calm in an effort to avoid a repeat of the rioting that engulfed the city after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis last year.
Villanueva told reporter Bill Melugin of local Fox affiliate KTTV-11 that he would “call over” to the National Guard:
NEW: In an interview moments ago, L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva tells me he plans to call over to the National Guard and request that they be on standby in case of any unrest in Los Angeles in coming days.
Says law enforcement learned many lessons after last year. @FOXLA— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) April 13, 2021
I also asked Sheriff Villanueva about the #DaunteWright video:
“It’s hard to explain that. But if someone mistakes their gun for their taser, it’s a training issue, but you can tell that’s a mistake of the mind, not of the heart, George Floyd was a mistake of the heart.” @FOXLA— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) April 13, 2021
President Joe Biden empathized with Wright’s family but said violence and looting were unacceptable.
Today I’m thinking about Daunte Wright and his family — and the pain, anger, and trauma that Black America experiences every day. While we await a full investigation, we know what we need to do to move forward: rebuild trust and ensure accountability so no one is above the law.
— President Biden (@POTUS) April 12, 2021
Prayers are not enough. Daunte Wright should still be with us. While an investigation is underway, our nation needs justice and healing, and Daunte’s family needs to know why their child is dead—they deserve answers.
— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) April 13, 2021
There were protests in Washington, DC, and elsewhere around the country. Ironically, the violence has broken out during the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in Floyd’s death.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. His recent book, RED NOVEMBER, tells the story of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary from a conservative perspective. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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