Exclusive | LAPD chief blasts Nithya Raman for attacking police as cops faced ‘lethal’ force at anti-ICE riots

LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell fired back at radical mayoral hopeful Nithya Raman’s attacks on police over their handling of ICE raids in Los Angeles last year — saying he was there as violent protesters unleashed chaos on the city and 52 officers were assaulted by protesters.

The chief’s comments came after the California Post revealed Raman spent hours sipping drinks at a trendy Silver Lake restaurant while riots erupted in downtown Los Angeles on June 6, 2025.

Raman has vowed to fire McDonnell for not doing enough to stop ICE from nabbing illegal migrants in the city. She’s also come under fire for suggesting McDonnell and theLAPD are ”fascist liars.’”

“I was out there,” McDonnell told The Post in a pointed reference to Raman’s happy hour drinks session as the city burned. “I don’t know that people who are criticizing us were anywhere near there.”

Asked about Raman’s “fascist” comments, McDonnell said he usually tries to brush off attacks to avoid distraction.

“It’s very disappointing to me that we have to deal with that,” he said. “In the second-largest city in America, we expect more than that.”

McDonnell defended the officers who confronted the unrest, describing a barrage of weapons he said could have left members of his force dead.

“They were being assaulted by commercial-grade fireworks, which can kill you. Those can be lethal,” he said.

“We were in a position where we had no choice but to defend ourselves, and we always try and use the least amount of force possible.”

He also described Molotov cocktails, ATVs driven into police skirmish lines — as well as rocks, pieces of curb, bolts, batteries and frozen water bottles hurled at officers.

The chief said cops deployed tear gas to prevent confrontations from escalating into a deadly-force situation.

“So, in effect, by doing that, we saved lives,” he said.

McDonnell said he feared a deadly encounter in Los Angeles would have repercussions across the country.

“The eyes of the world are on Los Angeles. What we do here matters,” he said.

He also pushed back against suggestions that the LAPD helps ICE enforce immigration laws, saying the department’s policy against immigration enforcement dates to 1979.

“We’re very comfortable at LAPD telling anybody that we do not work with ICE on immigration issues,” he said.

He distinguished that policy from the department’s partnerships with other federal agencies, including the FBI, DEA, ATF and Marshals Service, and its work with Homeland Security Investigations on human trafficking.

McDonnell noted the department was “woefully understaffed,” with roughly 8,500 officers, but that crime was down in every category and officer-involved shootings had fallen 53% this year.

He rejected the argument that falling crime means the city needs fewer cops.

“Well, how much crime is acceptable?” he asked. “I would say none if you’re going to be one of the victims, or a loved one be a victim.”

Asked what the next mayor should do to support the department, McDonnell urged anyone seeking to lead Los Angeles to study policing firsthand, take ride-alongs and speak with officers.

“It’s easy to be able to make a judgment on something you don’t know about and be very sure of yourself,” he said.

His advice to anyone seeking a leadership role: “Get to know the issues.”

McDonnell warned that officers’ morale suffers when they feel unsupported by city leaders and the community, particularly when staffing is stretched.

“We go out there every day and we adapt and overcome and move on, and the results, I think, speak for themselves,” he said.