LA has the resources to deal with protests, district attorney says

“The political talking is not helpful at all,” Los Angeles district attorney Nathan Hochman tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

“We’re dealing with a situation where we have thousands of people who are legitimately going to voice their protest over the policies the federal government is involved with,” he says, “and that’s fine".

But, he goes on to say, there are “individuals who have gone beyond the lines of protected speech".

He tells the BBC that LA authorities “do not need the additional forces that the National Guard and Marines present,” and believes it hasn’t reached the point where the unrest is beyond the means of local law enforcement.

Hochman says he won't get involved in the debate between President Donald Trump and California Governor Gavin Newsom but, he says, “we believe we have the resources right now to deal with the situation.”