A protester was charged with “assault with a deadly weapon” during a pro-Palestinian demonstration on the University of Southern California’s campus on Wednesday afternoon.
There were 93 people who were arrested at the demonstration. Because of the disruption, USC announced early Thursday morning that the university would “remain close until further notice.”
The protests began on campus around 4 p.m., the Los Angeles Times reported.
At approximately 5 p.m., USC’s Department of Public Safety announced a 10-minute warning for demonstrators to clear the area or “face being arrested” by law enforcement officials. Many protesters defied the warning and moved toward the officers while chanting loudly, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Later, an LAPD helicopter flew overhead, providing the protesters with another warning by declaring on a loudspeaker that their time was up and they had to leave the area or be arrested for trespassing, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Police officers then began to clear protesters out. The LAPD reported that 93 people were arrested with a post on social media early Thursday morning.
“93 arrests for 602 (O) PC,” the LAPD account posted on X, formerly Twitter. “No reports of any injuries. Patrols will remain in the area through tomorrow.”
“Earlier today, it was well known that there were numerous people on campus protesting,” Captain Kelly Muniz told reporters. “The Los Angeles Police Department was in the area and then went on campus around 4 p.m. today. Once protesters refused to leave, and we assisted the university in affecting trespass arrests.”
One reporter noted while speaking with Muniz that during the protest, there was video of police officers having water bottles and other objects thrown at them.
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“There was an altercation in one portion of the protest area,” Muniz said. “We did have one arrest for assault with a deadly weapon. So, in addition to the trespass arrests that we continue to work on, that arrest did occur as well.”
Muniz also explained what led to the protesters being arrested.
“The university is a private campus, and the group had been violating some of their orders, and it was a trespass at that point, and we assisted with those arrests,” Muniz said.
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