UCLA students, staff among more than 200 arrested as police dismantle pro-Palestinian camp

LOS ANGELES — More than 200 people were arrested Thursday morning as police moved into the pro-Palestinian encampment at UCLA, dismantling tents and pushing out protesters in a clash that lasted hours.

The operation capped two days of upheaval that began when the University of California, Los Angeles declared the encampment “unlawful” and continued when a group of pro-Israeli counterprotesters attacked the camp Tuesday night, with police taking hours to stop the violence.

Early Thursday morning, officers wearing body armor, helmets and face shields methodically pulled apart the barricade as protesters tried to hold together the assemblage of plywood and metal fencing. Police launched flares that arced over the encampment, igniting with piercing blasts, and smoke filled the air from fire extinguishers that demonstrators sprayed at police. At least one officer is seen on video shooting rubber bullets into the crowd.

Hours later, as police continued to move people out of the area, trash was seen strewn across the lawn. Tents were upended, and nearby buildings had been spray-painted with words in support of Gaza. Bulldozers rolled onto the campus to clean up the debris. Crews placed tents, chairs, food and other supplies into large trash bins.

There were several fronts to law enforcement’s predawn operation, with police using flash-bang devices that echoed across campus and disoriented the crowd.

Other officers watched from the high windows of Royce Hall, infuriating protesters who shone lights in their eyes and challenged them to come down.

A man was struck in the chest with a rubber bullet after California Highway Patrol officers told protesters to stop throwing boards and other objects at them. It is not clear whether the man was throwing anything or how many others were injured.

Police moved protesters out of Royce Hall after a series of tense scuffles. Some appeared to leave the scene on their own, but many were arrested. Los Angeles Police Department officials said 209 people were taken into custody. Many were booked on suspicion of failing to disperse, a misdemeanor, a law enforcement source told the Los Angeles Times.

UCLA has moved all classes online for the rest of the week in the wake of the unrest.

It is not clear how many of those arrested are UCLA students. The university did not immediately respond to a request for comment.