Most arrested throughout USC, UCLA Israel-Hamas struggle protests will not be charged

The Los Angeles metropolis lawyer’s workplace is not going to file prison fees towards the overwhelming majority of protesters arrested at UCLA and USC throughout final yr’s mass demonstrations over the struggle in Gaza, in line with a written assertion launched Friday.

Metropolis Atty. Hydee Feldstein Soto mentioned that whereas her workplace obtained greater than 300 referrals from arrests made throughout final spring’s demonstrations at each campuses, solely two folks can be charged. Three others can be referred to casual prosecutorial proceedings.

“Most of those circumstances had been declined for evidentiary causes or because of a college’s failure or incapability to help in identification or different info wanted for prosecution,” the assertion from her workplace reads.

The 2 suspects dealing with prison fees had been recognized as Edan On and Matthew Katz.

On, a pro-Israel demonstrator, was charged with battery and assault with a lethal weapon and Katz was charged with battery, false imprisonment and resisting arrest, in line with town lawyer’s workplace. Most of these fees are misdemeanors.

Each had been arrested for his or her alleged conduct at UCLA.

On’s case was initially dealt with by the Los Angeles County district lawyer’s workplace, which deferred the case to Soto after it couldn’t set up past an inexpensive doubt that his alleged conduct straight injured one other particular person.

Three others — recognized as Ali Abuamouneh, Karla Maria Aguilar and David Fischel — had been despatched to metropolis lawyer hearings, that are casual proceedings carried out as a substitute for a misdemeanor prison prosecution, in line with the assertion.

Abuamouneh and Aguilar had been arrested at USC whereas Fischel was arrested at UCLA.

The submitting determination comes a yr after college campuses turned middle stage for tense debates over the struggle in Gaza that broke out after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 — killing an estimated 1,200 folks, principally civilians, and taking about 250 folks hostage.

Gaza’s Well being Ministry says that Israel’s offensive has killed greater than 51,000 Palestinians.

Information of Soto’s determination was obtained positively by some.

The Larger Los Angeles Space workplace of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) welcomed the submitting of prison fees towards On.

“For much too lengthy, our communities have demanded accountability for the brutal assault on peaceable, largely student-led demonstrators — an assault that left a number of injured and traumatized whereas regulation enforcement stood by and didn’t intervene,” mentioned Dina Chehata, a CAIR-LA civil rights managing lawyer. “This submitting is a vital step, however it is just step one.”

Amelia Jones, a professor and vice dean of college and analysis at USC’s Roski Faculty of Artwork and Design, expressed help for Soto’s determination to not file fees towards most protesters.

“[Her] determination to not file prison fees on the overwhelming majority of scholars arrested by LAPD on USC’s campus final spring ratifies the scholar and college proper to protest as a basic and lawful ‘train of speech,’ in her phrases,” she wrote in a press release to The Occasions. “As a supporter of the scholars and somebody who attended the completely peaceable protests virtually day-after-day, I’m thrilled to see this subject resolved and freedom of speech ratified.”

Soto mentioned her workplace obtained greater than 300 referrals from arrests made in the course of the protests on the two campuses in April and Could 2024.

Soto mentioned the UCLA Police Division referred 245 arrests and all had been declined for submitting because of inadequate proof.

She mentioned the Los Angeles Police Division referred 93 arrests made at USC. These circumstances had been additionally declined for submitting because of inadequate proof.

“I wish to thank the attorneys in my Prison Department for his or her dedication to the rule of regulation and their dedication to objectively evaluating the proof and referrals obtained on every of those issues,” Soto mentioned.