Incident at Westwood Protest: U-Haul Truck Drives into Crowd
On January 11, 2026, a protest against the Iranian government in Westwood took a chaotic turn when a man drove a U-Haul truck into several people. The Los Angeles Fire Department reported that two people were evaluated at the scene and declined treatment, while police confirmed that one adult was struck by the vehicle but did not sustain significant injuries. The driver of the truck, however, was injured in the ensuing chaos.
Video footage from the scene showed protesters attempting to pull the suspect out of the vehicle, with officers eventually taking him into custody. The protesters were seen punching and lashing out at the suspect, demonstrating the high tensions at the scene. A sign attached to the U-Haul truck, which had messages in Arabic and English, was ripped off by the protesters. The sign read: “No Shah. No Regime. USA: Don’t Repeat 1953. No Mullah.”
Protest Context and Official Response
The protest in Westwood was one of many demonstrations taking place globally in response to the ongoing situation in Iran, where activists claim at least 538 people have been killed and over 10,000 arrested in the past two weeks. According to the L.A. Regional Transportation Management Center, up to 3,000 people had gathered for the protest by around 3 p.m., prompting the agency to shut down the northbound and southbound offramps to Wilshire Boulevard to prevent protesters from potentially taking over the freeway.
Mayor Karen Bass arrived at the scene a few hours after the incident and emphasized the importance of keeping protests peaceful. She stated, “There’s a lot of various protests that are happening, and obviously we want everybody to exercise their 1st Amendment right. But how one does that is critical, and exercising your 1st Amendment right peacefully is what is absolutely critical.” The Department of Justice is also aware of the incident, as confirmed by First Assistant U.S. Atty. Bill Essayli in a statement posted on X.
Protesters stand near a U-Haul truck at the Westwood protest on Jan. 11, 2026. The vehicle carried a sign with messages in Arabic and English.
(KNN.News)
Investigation and Charges
According to L.A. Police Capt. Richard Gabaldon, officials do not believe the incident was politically motivated or an act of terrorism but rather stemmed from an altercation in the crowd. The suspect, who has no prior arrest record, could face a charge of assault with a deadly weapon. The Los Angeles Police Department is currently investigating the incident.
