More than three weeks after counter-protesters attacked a pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of California, Los Angeles, university police made the first arrest in connection with the attack: an 18-year-old who police said had struck pro-Palestinian protesters with a wooden pole.
UCLA police did not identify the man by name, but arrest records show him to be Edan Onn. He faces one count of felony assault with a deadly weapon. Police said it seriously injured at least one person.
Videos of the April 30 attack on the camp show a man in a light-colored hood and white mask swinging a pole at several protesters. In one photo, there appears to be blood on the sleeve of his sweatshirt.
Mr. Ohn’s mother told CNN that the man seen in those videos was her son, though she later told the network he denied he was there. She told CNN last week that her son was a high school senior with plans to join the Israeli army.
Mr. Ohn was arrested Thursday morning at a Beverly Hills operation, the police said. Jail records show bail was set at $30,000.
Mr On’s mother and father declined to comment on Friday.
The UCLA Police Department is under intense pressure to identify and charge counter-protesters involved in the April 30 attack, which police allowed to continue for several hours without intervening.
The university created a new campus security office, temporarily removed the police chief from his post and hired an outside police consultant to review its response to the attack.
The new chief of the campus security office, Rick Braziel, said in a statement Friday that university police were committed to identifying more of the perpetrators of the attack. “Those who caused violence in our community will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” he said.
The attack came several days after the students set up the encampment, part of a wave of student protests against Israel’s invasion and bombardment of Gaza. On the evening of April 30, a group of counter-protesters—some of whom wore pro-Israel slogans on their clothing and played Israel’s national anthem—arrived and began trying to break up the camp. They dragged barricades away from the camp, punched protesters and threw fireworks into the crowd.
It wasn’t until 3 a.m. on May 1 that police in riot gear intervened to separate the two groups. No one was arrested at the time.
The next night, UCLA called in officers from the city police to help clear the encampment. More than 200 pro-Palestinian protesters who refused to leave were arrested.
UCLA Chancellor Gene Block testified before a congressional committee Thursday about how he has handled student protests on campus. During that hearing, he faced intense questioning from Representative Ilhan Omar, D-Minnesota, who asked him why none of the counter-protesters involved in the April 30 attack had been arrested.
“Are any of these people in jail?” asked.
Jail records show that Mr. Onn was arrested during the testimony of Dr. Block, but his arrest was not publicly disclosed until Friday.
Jonathan Wolfe contributed reporting from Los Angeles. Alain Delaquerière contributed to the research.
