Truck ramps into crowd in LA (Video credits: X)
Several supporters of Iran’s exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi were injured on Sunday after a U-Haul truck drove into a crowd during a protest in Los Angeles, triggering chaos and clashes near a federal building in the city’s Westwood neighbourhood.The incident occurred as several hundred demonstrators had gathered to express solidarity with anti-government protests in Iran and oppose the country’s clerical leadership. The rally was part of growing global demonstrations backing protesters inside Iran, where unrest has intensified in recent weeks. According to ABC7 news, a U-Haul box truck drove down a street crowded with marchers, forcing protesters to scramble out of the way. Witnesses said demonstrators then ran after the speeding vehicle and attempted to stop the driver. The truck was later found several blocks away, surrounded by police vehicles, with its side mirrors shattered.
A banner on the truck read: “NO SHAH. NO REGIME. USA: DON’T REPEAT 1953. NO MULLAH.” Several protesters were seen tearing signs off the vehicle.According to the video, demonstrators swarmed the truck, punched the driver and used flagpoles to break through the driver’s side window. Shattered glass and debris were scattered across the area as police worked to contain the crowd, ABC7 News reported. Los Angeles police confirmed officers responded to the scene but did not immediately say whether any arrests were made. The Los Angeles Fire Department said two people were evaluated by paramedics but both declined medical treatment. No ambulances were called.”We can confirm that a U-Haul truck plowed through a group of protesters this afternoon. We are still gathering information and do not have the number of injuries as of now,” LA police department said. Chaos intensified shortly before 3.30 pm when crowds surrounded the U-Haul. Eyewitnesses reported that some protesters smashed the truck’s windows as tensions escalated. Eventually, the crowd pulled a man from the vehicle and law enforcement appeared to take him into custody. As officers escorted him away, some protesters attempted to punch him and strike him with flagpoles.Later, LAPD issued a dispersal order. By around 5 pm, the crowd disappeared, with only about 100 protesters remaining at the scene. The U-Haul was later seen stationary, surrounded by crime scene tape, broken glass and debris.Protesters again flooded the streets of Tehran and Iran’s second-largest city on Sunday, despite a government-imposed internet blackout aimed at limiting the flow of information.Human rights groups estimate that more than 580 people have been killed and over 10,600 detained since the unrest began. Iranian authorities have not released official figures, according to USA Today. The protests initially began in late December over economic hardship but quickly expanded into broader anti-government demonstrations. Iran’s economy has been under severe strain, with the national currency collapsing, inflation hovering around 40%, and prices rising sharply for basic goods such as meat and rice.The unrest has also been fueled by anger over past crackdowns, including the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini in police custody, which triggered nationwide protests.Some demonstrators in Iran have chanted slogans in support of Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s last shah, who has repeatedly called for protests. Earlier, Pahlavi urged Iranian security forces and government employees to side with demonstrators.“Employees of state institutions, as well as members of the armed and security forces, have a choice: stand with the people and become allies of the nation, or choose complicity with the murderers of the people,” Pahlavi wrote on social media.The violence in Los Angeles comes as tensions surrounding Iran’s protests draw increasing international attention, with US President Donald Trump warning Tehran against violently suppressing peaceful demonstrators.“We’re watching it very closely,” Trump has said. “If they start killing people like they have in the past, I think they’re going to get hit very hard by the United States.” Go to Source
