Man who police say was recorded attacking pro-Palestinian encampment at UCLA arrested
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- An 18-year-old man who police say was recorded attacking a pro-Palestinian encampment at UCLA last month was arrested Thursday on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, records show.
Edan On was arrested by the UCLA Police Department, booked on a felony and is being held on $30,000 bail, UCLA Police and jail records show. He's also not affiliated with the university, according to investigators.
CNN was first to identify On, along with other counterprotesters, through a review of hundreds of hours of video, social media posts and interviews.
"UCLA Police Department detectives conducted an investigation that included interviewing victims, speaking with witnesses, and reviewing security camera footage and publicly available videos from members of the public and the media," the department said in a statement.
The UCLA Police Department confirmed an 18-year-old on the UCLA campus on April 30 who "was seen on video assaulting encampment occupants with a wooden pole" has been arrested by UCLA Police in the City of Beverly Hills.
Police did not identify On as the person arrested, but details provided by the department match the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's inmate information page.
Video shows On joining counterprotesters at the UCLA campus on April 30 waving a long white pole. At one point, he strikes a pro-Palestinian protester with the pole, and appears to continue to strike him even when he was down, as fellow counterprotesters piled on.
"The UCLA Police Department is committed to investigating all reported acts of violence and is actively working to identify the other perpetrators of violence associated with any protest or counter-protest activities between April 25, 2024 and May 2, 2024," the department said.
Beverly Hills High School said, due to privacy concerns, it could not confirm or deny On is a student there and whether he can participate in his graduation ceremony.
"Attending graduation is a privilege, and we expect our students to uphold the highest standards of behavior to participate in this significant milestone," Beverly Hills Unified School District Superintendent Michael Bregy said.
Meanwhile, Greater Los Angeles office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations released a statement, saying: "Beverly Hills Unified School District's silence about Edan On's violent and well-documented attacked is indicative of an overall disregard for the safety and well-being of BHUSD's Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim students - some of whom have reported to our office a school environment that is plagued by anti-Palestinian sentiment, discrimination, and fear."
UCLA students who spoke with Eyewitness News Friday night with knew not everyone protesting or counterprotesting that day was a student and were fine with it, as long as it stated non-violent.
"People need a place to shout out and express their ideas, and if they only walk on the street maybe nobody would notice them," said one student. "If they walk here, they shout out in this square, people will notice them, people will gather around and say what's happening."
The CNN Wire contributed to this report.
