After Marines Detain First American Civilian, US Northern Command Confirms Their Authority
on June 13, 2025, U.S. Marines stationed in Los Angeles detained a man named Marcos Leao, a 27-year-old Army veteran, after he attempted to cross a yellow boundary tape near the Wilshire Federal Building. Although the Marines do not have the authority to make arrests, they can temporarily detain individuals untill they can be handed over to civilian authorities. The incident, wich was captured on video, raised questions about the role of military forces in civilian law enforcement and has sparked a mixed reaction on social media, with some viewing it as a sign of increasing authoritarianism while others defended the Marines’ actions. Leao, who complied with the marines’ commands and felt he was treated fairly, was on his way to a Department of Veterans Affairs appointment when the encounter occurred. The situation reflects the heightened tensions in Los Angeles, linked to ongoing riots and a crackdown on illegal immigration initiated by the federal government.
Marines on duty guarding a federal facility in Los Angeles on Friday briefly detained a man who later said he’d tried to go under a yellow boundary tape and was asked to halt, according to news reports.
While the man apparently posed no threat and was later released, according to Reuters, the incident did prompt the arm of the Defense Department in charge of security for the continental United States to confirm the Marines were acting under appropriate legal authority in the first known detention related to their Los Angeles deployment.
Active duty forces “may temporarily detain an individual in specific circumstances,” a spokesperson for U.S Northern Command told Reuters.
A video of the incident from Reuters is below:
US Marines made the first known detention of a civilian during their Los Angeles deployment. Reuters images showed Marines apprehending a civilian, restraining him and then handing him over to civilians from the Department of Homeland Security https://t.co/6IXjJSCYfC pic.twitter.com/7SltHG3Qr8
— Reuters (@Reuters) June 14, 2025
It’s important to note that the Marines don’t have powers to make actual arrests. But, as Reuters reported, they may hold individuals before transferring them to civilian authorities.
“Any temporary detention ends immediately when the individual(s) can be safely transferred to the custody of appropriate civilian law enforcement personnel,” a Northern Command representative told the news service.
In the case of the man detained on Friday, the incident appeared to be non-confrontational.
The man was identified as 27-year-old Marcos Leao, who told Reuters he was an Army veteran who’d been at the Wilshire Federal Building to visit an office of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Leao said he was on his way to an appointment in the office when he rushed past the tape.
“He looked up to find a Marine sprinting toward him,” the AP reported.
“I had my headphones in, so I didn’t hear them,” Leao said, according to the AP. “They told me to get down on the ground. I basically complied with everything they were saying.”
He appeared to have no complaints about the incident, saying he thought the Marines treated him “very fairly,” according to The New York Times.
“Mr. Leao said he tried to duck under yellow caution tape cordoning off a plaza area outside the building. He said he was undisturbed by his brief detention,” the Times reported.
“They’re just doing their job,” Leo said, according to Reuters.
Still, the incident put a spotlight on the role the Marines are playing in the city, which has been convulsed by riots since June 6, when the Department of Homeland Security began a series of enforcement actions as part of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration.
It also sparked a storm of comments on social media, with critics calling it a sign of a looming “authoritarianism” as others applauded.
THIS MAY BE THE WORST PHOTO IN AMERICAN HISTORY!
It shows US Marines detaining a US citizen in Los Angeles. This is the first time in known US history that the marines have been used in this way to detain an American without the Insurrection Act being invoked.
Your thoughts pic.twitter.com/TJRDA1p8HR
— Lovable Liberal and his Old English sheepdog (@DougWahl1) June 14, 2025
Reuters is reporting that the Marines have just detained a US citizen. This week has been nothing but an escalating series of disgusting acts of authoritarianism. I feel so sick. pic.twitter.com/rMv1Umr5HO
— Conor Williams (@sadfilmcritic) June 13, 2025
But others had no problem with it at all.
Have you ever seen those U.S. Marines guarding the White House? The military can and does guard Federal buildings. They have the authority to detain and. Individual before handing them over to civil authorities. This guy tried to get into the Wilshire Federal Building. pic.twitter.com/aNwv92MFaC
— LadyLilaena (@LadyLilaena) June 14, 2025
The incident, and reactions to it, also highlighted the forces — emotional, physical, and legal — at work in the continuing showdown in Los Angeles.
“I didn’t know it was going to be this intense here,” Leao said, according to the AP.
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