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FBI and L.A. police to help investigate violent siege on UCLA encampment

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FBI and L.A. police to help investigate violent siege on UCLA encampment

Nearly a week after violence erupted on the campus of UCLA, Chancellor Gene Block announced Monday that the school is working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Los Angeles Police Department to hold those responsible for the melee accountable.  

Hostilities outside the pro-Palestinian solidarity encampment had been simmering since demonstrators took over Royce Quad on April 25, setting up dozens of tents and surrounding themselves with metal fences and wood pallets.  

On April 30, just hours after Chancellor Block labeled the encampment as “unauthorized,” pro-Israeli counter-protestors, many dressed in all black with white masks over their faces and flags draped across their shoulders, lobbed fireworks at the encampment and attempted to dismantle the barricades.  

For at least two hours, campus police stood by as both factions traded punches, hurled items at each other, and dispersed pepper spray and fire extinguishers in a chaotic scene that wasn’t contained until around 2 a.m. when LAPD officers arrived. 

The president of the University of California system, Michael Drake, said 15 people were injured, one of whom required hospitalization. 

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Despite the widespread violence, no arrests were reported, though Chancellor Block vowed a “thorough investigation.”  

Just two days later, on May 2, police moved in, dismantled the encampment and arrested several hundred pro-Palestinian demonstrators.  

  • Many people in white masks showed up before violence broke out among pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel protestors at the UCLA campus on April 30, 2024. (KTLA)
  • Violence breaks out among pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel protestors at the UCLA campus on April 30, 2024. (KTLA)
  • UCLA Protest Encampment Cleared

Today, Block followed up on his promise, saying the university is committed to identifying last week’s perpetrators of violence and holding them accountable.  

“The LAPD has committed a detective to assist in our investigative efforts, and we have also connected with the FBI about possible assistance,” the chancellor said Monday in a message to the Bruin community. “We have spoken to Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón to solicit his help in ensuring that the instigators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.” 

Block added that investigators are reviewing all available footage from the April 30 incident, interviewing witnesses and urged anyone who has information about the attack to report it as soon as possible.  

Despite the announcement, demonstrations on the campus of UCLA continued Monday. 

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The university’s newly formed Office of Campus Safety, headed by former Sacramento Police Chief Rick Braziel, arrested 43 people in a campus parking structure this morning.  

Police say the group refused to provide identification and prove whether they were students legally allowed on campus during curfew hours.  

According to UCLA regulations, non-affiliates of the university are not allowed on campus between midnight and 6 a.m. without permission. Everyone, including students, staff and faculty, is required to show ID if campus police determine there’s a disturbance to campus peace, KTLA’s Samanth Cortese reported.  

Later, dozens of protesters, perhaps more than 100, marched through campus and gathered for a rally in front of the student union building. The university then announced that all classes would be moved to remote due to “ongoing disruptions.” 

School officials also said Royce Hall and Powell library would remain closed until Friday.  

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UCLA did not respond to multiple questions from KTLA about today’s arrests.  

Los Angeles, Ca

California primary election results: governor and L.A. mayor races

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California primary election results: governor and L.A. mayor races

With a little more than half of the vote counted, Republican Steve Hilton opened a one-point lead over Democrat Xavier Becerra in California’s governor’s race Wednesday morning, 27% to 25%, respectively. Democrat Tom Steyer was in third with 20%, raising the strong likelihood that Hilton and Becerra will advance to November’s runoff. Meanwhile, Los Angeles […]

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Los Angeles, Ca

L.A. police in pursuit of suspected car thief

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L.A. police in pursuit of suspected car thief

Officers with the Los Angeles Police Department are in pursuit of a person behind the wheel of a vehicle that has been reported stolen. Preliminary, though unconfirmed, details suggest the suspect stole the vehicle, a 2012 Hyundai, in downtown L.A., near the intersection of 7th and Figueroa streets. The suspect is believed to have struck […]

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2 women killed after being struck by BMW in Orange County intersection

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2 women killed after being struck by BMW in Orange County intersection

An investigation is underway after two women were struck and killed by a driver in Orange County on Monday night. Dispatchers received multiple 911 calls around 9 p.m. reporting that a BMW had hit two pedestrians at the intersection of Magnolia and Cerritos avenues in Stanton, an Orange County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson confirmed. When deputies […]

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