Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025

AdvertiseDonateSubmit
NewsSportsArtsOpinionThe QuadPhotoVideoIllustrationsCartoonsGraphicsThe StackPRIMEEnterpriseInteractivesPodcastsGamesClassifiedsPrint issues

IN THE NEWS:

Black History Month 2025

UCPD arrests, releases three pro-Palestine protesters for vandalism charges

The UCPD building is pictured. UCPD arrested three people for alleged vandalism Friday morning. (Daily Bruin file photo)

By Gabrielle Gillette

Sept. 20, 2024 6:17 p.m.

UCPD arrested three people in Westwood early Friday morning for allegedly vandalizing Royce Hall and Parking Structure 8. 

The suspects were arrested on Veteran and Weyburn avenues around 1:20 a.m. after a witness called in the license plate for a car the suspects were seen driving down Weyburn Avenue, said Jeffrey Chobanian, the UCPD acting operation bureau captain. Inside the car, UCPD found spray paint cans and stickers that matched the vandalism found at Royce Hall and Parking Structure 8, Chobanian said. 

In a Friday Instagram post, Students for Justice in Palestine at UCLA called for people to mobilize and bring water, food and blankets to the Van Nuys Community Police Station, where the suspects were being held. A second statement on SJP’s Instagram said the suspects were arrested on campus, though Chobanian said they were found in Westwood. SJP’s statement also claimed the suspects were students and alumni of UCLA and UC Irvine, though the Daily Bruin could not confirm this information.  

The suspects were released later that day, according to a third Instagram post from SJP.

“It is not over yet, they must drop the charges!” the organization said in the third statement. “We know this is just the first of deliberate intimidation and repression tactics enacted by the UC this upcoming year.” 

The arrests follow a Thursday decision made by the UC Board of Regents’ Compliance and Audit Committee approving allocations of drones, tear gas and less-than-lethal weapons to UCPD. The decision was met with disruption by pro-Palestine protesters, who shouted, “Why did you shoot us?” and, “Free, free Palestine,” in the room. 

According to SJP’s first Instagram post, the suspects were a part of the delegation who confronted the regents during the meeting in which they approved the decision. A representative for SJP did not respond in time to requests for comment.

Share this story:FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Gabrielle Gillette | Metro editor
Gillette is the 2024-2025 metro editor. She is also a fourth-year gender studies student minoring in English from Santa Cruz.
Gillette is the 2024-2025 metro editor. She is also a fourth-year gender studies student minoring in English from Santa Cruz.
COMMENTS
Featured Classifieds
More classifieds »
Related Posts