WESTWOOD, LOS ANGELES (KABC) — A protest that began peacefully in Westwood on Sunday afternoon turned chaotic after a U-Haul truck drove toward hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the federal building, prompting clashes between the crowd, the driver and police.
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Video shows the moment the truck moved into the crowd on Veteran Avenue as people screamed and rushed away around 3:30 p.m. Exclusive AIR7 shows officers pulling the driver from the truck while protesters surrounded him, attempting to strike him with objects, including flag poles, trash and their hands. One protester can be seen climbing onto the vehicle and kicking in its windshield.
After the driver was removed, protesters chased him and tried to hit him as police escorted him away and took him into custody. Demonstrators also tore political messages from the truck as tensions escalated.
The rally had drawn hundreds of people in solidarity with ongoing protests in Iran. The protests demanding a regime change over the country’s failing economy have been met with a violent crackdown. Human rights activists in Iran claim at least 538 people have been killed and more than 10,000 people have been detained after 15 days of demonstrations.
Sean Zarrabi, who recorded video of police leading the driver away in handcuffs, said, “People are getting their voice out, and this person comes through the crowd and tries to kill people.”
The Iranian government is trying to shut down the protests by cutting off access to the Internet, making it hard for people like Shilla Aran to connect with her grandmother in Iran. She became tearful as she described the situation there.
“It’s very sad because young people are dying every day there. Especially now, like, they have no freedom. We are so fortunate to be living here. Our people there… they are living off maybe $50 a month. That’s someone’s salary. It’s just very upsetting that women don’t have freedom. They have to wear hijabs. They have no rights. It’s very saddening,” Aran said.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass urged demonstrators with different views to exercise their rights peacefully, saying, “Even though we’re in this highly charged environment, it’s always important for Angelenos to remember that our protests have to be peaceful, regardless of how charged the issue is.”
Police said one protester received minor injuries and was treated at the scene. At a press conference on Sunday evening, officials said the driver was being treated in the hospital for injuries and will likely face attempted assault with a deadly weapon charges.
Los Angeles police eventually issued a dispersal order, and the crowd quickly began to shrink.
After the chaos settled, the U-Haul was seen stopped in the area, surrounded by shattered glass, debris and crime scene tape.
The investigation into the incident is ongoing.
The violence in Westwood came as tensions continued to rise over Iran’s response to protests. President Donald Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that Iran’s crackdown may have crossed a red line, and that the U.S. military has “strong options” at its disposal. A U.S. official told ABC News that the president will be briefed on Tuesday on possible U.S. responses.
SEE ALSO: Death toll in crackdown on protests in Iran spikes to at least 538, activists say
Nationwide protests in Iran, sparked by the Islamic Republic’s ailing economy, are putting new pressure on its theocracy as it has shut down the internet and telephone networks.
Tehran is still reeling from a 12-day war launched by Israel in June that saw the United States bomb nuclear sites in Iran. Economic pressure, which has intensified since September when the United Nations reimposed sanctions on the country over its atomic program, has sent Iran’s rial currency into a free fall, now trading at over 1.4 million to $1.
Meanwhile, Iran’s self-described “Axis of Resistance” – a coalition of countries and militant groups backed by Tehran – has been decimated since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in 2023.
A threat by U.S. President Donald Trump warning Iran that if Tehran “violently kills peaceful protesters,” the U.S. “will come to their rescue,” has taken on new meaning after American troops captured Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro, a longtime ally of Tehran.
“We’re watching it very closely,” Trump has warned. “If they start killing people like they have in the past, I think they’re going to get hit very hard by the United States.”
The collapse of the rial has led to a widening economic crisis in Iran. Prices are up on meat, rice and other staples of the Iranian dinner table. The nation has been struggling with an annual inflation rate of some 40%.
In December, Iran introduced a new pricing tier for its nationally subsidized gasoline, raising the price of some of the world’s cheapest gas and further pressuring the population. Tehran may seek steeper price increases in the future, as the government now will review prices every three months. Meanwhile, food prices are expected to spike after Iran’s Central Bank in recent days ended a preferential, subsidized dollar-rial exchange rate for all products except medicine and wheat.
The protests began in late December with merchants in Tehran before spreading. While initially focused on economic issues, the demonstrations soon saw protesters chanting anti-government statements as well. Anger has been simmering over the years, particularly after the 2022 death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody, that triggered nationwide demonstrations.
Some have chanted in support of Iran’s exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, who has called for protests.
More than 570 protests have taken place across all of Iran’s 31 provinces, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported early Sunday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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