A pro-Israel counterprotester was arrested Thursday morning by UCLA police, weeks after he allegedly attacked the occupants of a campus protest encampment with a wooden pole.
According to the UCLA Police Department, detectives interviewed witnesses and victims and reviewed security camera footage from the pro-Palestinian demonstration to identify the suspect, who was not affiliated with the campus and was allegedly part of a group that violently attacked to students, faculty and staff in April. 30.
The 18-year-old man was arrested at a business in Beverly Hills and booked with felony assault with a deadly weapon, police said. He is currently being held in the Los Angeles County Jail on $30,000 bail. This appears to be the first arrest of a counter-protester.
A law enforcement source confirmed to the Times that the man is Edan On, who was identified by CNN last week as a counter-protester wearing a white hoodie and a mask in widely shared images and videos that showed him repeatedly punching a pro-Palestinian protester. with the polo On is also listed on the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department arrest record.
“The UCLA Police Department is committed to investigating all reported acts of violence and is actively working to identify other perpetrators of violence associated with any protests or counter-protest activities between April 25, 2024 and May 2, 2024. 2024,” the Police Department said. he said in a statement. “Investigations are ongoing.”
A group of student journalists were among those attacked by counterprotesters on April 30. The violence prompted an independent review of the university's actions and authorities' response to the campus unrest. Universities across the country have been disrupted by protests over the war between Israel and Hamas.
In early May, more than 200 people were arrested at UCLA as police and protesters clashed for hours.
University Police Chief John Thomas was removed from his position and reassigned, officials said earlier this week, after coming under fire for security failures that led to violence at a pro-Palestinian camp. And UCLA Chancellor Gene Block was questioned by members of Congress on Thursday about his handling of complaints about anti-Semitism on campus.
