The Los Angeles City Attorney charged a former Beverly Hills High School student for his involvement in an attack on the UCLA Palestine Solidarity Encampment.
Edan On, who was a Beverly Hills High School senior during the May 30, 2024, attack, was charged with alleged assault and battery and brandishing a deadly weapon, LA City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto announced in an April 25 press release. On was recorded striking pro-Palestine protesters at UCLA with a long white pole while wearing a white face mask during an attack by counter-protesters on the encampment, which also included setting off fireworks and releasing irritant gases against the protesters gathered in Dickson Plaza. On was initially arrested in May after CNN published an investigation that revealed his involvement in the attack and was later released on bail.
George Gascón, the Los Angeles District Attorney at the time of the encampment, announced in June 2024 that his office would not charge On with a felony, and instead referred On’s case to the City Attorney’s Office for a potential misdemeanor. Gascón said that his office could not determine that On’s actions resulted in an injury against the victim or that he was working in collaboration with others.
The announcement of On’s charges came in a release stating that the City Attorney had decided not to file criminal charges on most arrests made during the encampment. The office received more than 300 arrest referrals related to protests on both UCLA and USC’s campuses during April and May 2024. The UCLA Police Department referred 245 arrests to her office from protests on campus during May.
In addition to On, the only other person criminally charged was 31-year-old Matthew Katz. He faces charges of assault and battery, false imprisonment and human trafficking and resisting arrest. Three other individuals will face hearings with the City Attorney for their conduct during protests at both UCLA and USC’s campuses.
“Most of these cases were declined for evidentiary reasons or due to a university’s failure or inability to assist in identification or other information needed for prosecution. Both universities were also the scene of arrests for criminal conduct that compromised the safety of other individuals or the public, for which other filing decisions, including criminal charges, have been made,” Soto’s office said in the press release.
