The University of California, Los Angeles police department announced Friday that it has made an arrest three weeks following the outbreak of violence between campus protesters.
Edan On, 18, was taken into custody on Thursday facing charges of assault with a deadly weapon. Officers indicated he had no connection to UCLA. He was allegedly among those filmed attacking pro-Palestinian protesters with sticks. Most participants wore masks during the incident, complicating suspect identification.
On was reportedly identified by his own mother in a now-deleted Instagram post. She asserted he was the protester in a white hoodie and included a screenshot of him, captioned in Hebrew, stating he “went to bully the Palestinian students in the tents at UCLA and played the song that they played to the Nukhba terrorists in prison.”
Attendees documented videos showing groups attacking each other during the April 30 event. There were accounts of pepper spray usage and fireworks being launched into the encampment.
Various protests have erupted on college campuses nationwide advocating for a ceasefire in Gaza. Over 2,300 protesters, many unaffiliated with the universities, have been arrested during efforts to dismantle encampments.
UCLA specifically had to pause classes temporarily when protests escalated to violence. Over 200 protesters were arrested on its campus.
