WESTWOOD, LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Clashes between police and pro-Palestinian protesters broke out at UCLA after demonstrators set up tents in Dickson Plaza and dyed a nearby fountain red.
Police and campus security responded to the scene and LAPD later declared a tactical alert. A line of officers on bicycles positioned themselves a few steps from the demonstrators.
Orders were repeatedly issued for protesters to disperse.
Around 8 p.m., the officers had grouped part of the crowd into a narrow path surrounded by bushes. There were several clashes between police and demonstrators in this area. Some in the crowd dove through the bushes and made their own path to escape.
At least one security guard was being treated for his injuries.
Protesters set up tents in UCLA’s Dickson Plaza and dyed a nearby fountain red in the latest pro-Palestinian demonstration on campus.
Earlier in the afternoon, protesters dyed the Shapiro Fountain red and placed fake bloodied bodies nearby.
UCLA leaders were criticized for their handling of campus protests earlier this year.
On April 30, counterprotesters attacked a pro-Palestinian encampment, throwing traffic cones, releasing pepper spray and destroying barriers. The fighting continued for several hours before the police intervened.
A massive police intervention dismantled the camp a day later.
Protest encampments calling on universities to stop doing business with Israel or with companies that support the war in Gaza have spread this year to other campuses in Southern California and across the country.
Copyright © 2024 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.