What do we know about a truck driving through a gathering of Iranians in Los Angeles?
On Sunday, January 11, a group of Iranians residing in Los Angeles held a gathering in support of the nationwide protests in Iran. The participants of this gathering carried flags of the Lion and Sun, Israel, the United States, and images of the Pahlavi family, chanting slogans in support of the protests in Iran and Reza Pahlavi, the former crown prince of Iran. This gathering sparked widespread reactions on social media due to an incident involving a truck driving into the crowd.
Initial footage of the incident showed a rental truck from "U-Haul" speeding through the protesters. However, according to other angles and a statement from the Los Angeles police, it was the protesters who initially attacked the truck and its driver.
Social media also reported that "several people were injured" during the incident.
The Los Angeles Fire Department stated that two individuals were examined by emergency services after the incident but did not require further treatment.
On the cabin of the moving truck, it was written in English: "No Shah, No Regime, USA, do not repeat the 1953 incident (28 Mordad coup), No Mullahs," and a similar message was written in Persian: "No Shah, No Leader, the people own the country."
The Los Angeles police sent a statement in response to a request from BBC Persian, describing the incident as follows: "Following the collision of a truck with a protest gathering in West Los Angeles, the driver was arrested, and a joint investigation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has begun."
According to new footage released from the incident, it appears that the truck driver initially approached the crowd but did not drive through them.
The Los Angeles police stated that this incident occurred at the intersection of Veteran and Ohio Streets and their statement reads:
"Los Angeles police patrol officers from the West Los Angeles unit were monitoring a gathering in support of the ongoing protests in Iran when a cargo truck was moving east-west on Ohio Street towards Veteran Street. Officers stopped the vehicle and instructed the driver to turn around as he was approaching a large group of protesters. The truck had messages affixed to its body that opposed the views of the protesting crowd. The protesters tore the messages from the truck and attacked the driver."
According to the Los Angeles police statement, it was initially the crowd of Iranians who attacked the truck and its driver.
In a recently released video from the start of the incident, a number of Iranians are seen gathering around the truck and using derogatory language towards the driver. The crowd breaks the truck's windows and mirrors, and one person climbs onto the roof of the vehicle, while others tear down the banner on the truck that reads, "No Shah, No Leader, the people own the country." The truck driver remains seated behind the wheel, but several individuals also attack him and beat him. As the number of people attacking the truck increases, the driver begins to move through the crowd.
According to the Los Angeles police statement: "The driver then moved towards a group of Los Angeles police officers. Individuals from the crowd moved aside to avoid a collision. Police officers formed a protective line between the truck and the crowd and arrested the driver."
The police stated that the cargo truck was inspected and impounded, and nothing significant was discovered in it; however, detectives from the major crimes division contacted potential victims of this incident, but none reported being hit by the truck.
According to the Los Angeles police, the 48-year-old truck driver was arrested on charges of "reckless driving," but a bail of "zero dollars" was issued for him. The police stated that the major crimes division of the Los Angeles police department is responsible for continuing the investigation into this case, and the case will be submitted to the city attorney's office for review and decision on charges.
The Associated Press reported that the truck driver was released on Monday because "he has not officially been charged."
Multiple videos of this incident have been released. Some of them show that after the truck enters the crowd, people again attack the truck and its driver, beating him once more.
In some images, police officers are seen trying to prevent protesters from attacking the truck driver.
Los Angeles, which houses one of the largest Iranian communities outside of Iran, has been the scene of numerous gatherings and marches in support of protests inside Iran in recent months.
The police initially allowed this gathering to take place but later ordered the crowd to disperse.