Administrators at the University of California, Los Angeles, called in law enforcement officers after a violent clash broke out at an encampment of pro-Palestinian protesters, university officials announced early Wednesday.
Los Angeles Police Department “immediately responded” to the university's request for assistance, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass' office said.
“Due to the horrific acts of violence that occurred at the encampment tonight, we immediately requested mutual aid assistance from law enforcement,” the university's Vice President Mary Osako said in an emailed statement.
“Fire and medical personnel are on scene,” she added. “We are tired of this senseless violence and it must end.”
movie Photos posted on social media showed clashes involving demonstrators, firecrackers exploding near groups of protesters, and people spraying each other with what appeared to be irritant spray. It is being shown. People can also be seen destroying metal barricades surrounding the camp.
Bass' chief spokesperson, Zach Seidl, said in a social media post that Bass spoke with both University President Gene Block and Los Angeles Police Chief Dominic Choi.
On Tuesday night, university officials declared the pro-Palestinian encampment on campus illegal and warned protesters that they would face serious consequences if they did not leave. It was a sudden about-face on one of the most tolerant campuses as protests swept across campuses across the country.