The man behind the wheel of a U-Haul box truck that went through a group of demonstrators who gathered in support of the Iranian people Sunday in Westwood has been arrested.
Calor Madanescht, 48, was arrested on suspicion of reckless driving, the LAPD said in a news release. Jail records did not indicate an initial court date.
The events unfolded Sunday afternoon in Westwood, a neighborhood home to the largest Iranian community outside of Iran, near the Federal Building at Veteran Avenue and Ohio Avenue. Demonstrators, some waving the flag of Iran from before the Islamic Revolution, scrambled out of the way as the U-Haul truck entered the area, leading to a confrontation between members of the crowd and the driver.
The large box truck, which had messages on the sides of its cargo area, continued down the street as demonstrators scrambled out of the way. No serious injuries were reported.
After speaking with Madanescht, investigators determined he intended to get a message out at the demonstration, but became overwhelmed by the situation, police said.
“Officers stopped the truck and directed the driver to turn around, as he was approaching a large crowd of protesters,” the LAPD said in the news release. “On the side of the truck were written signs that opposed the views of the crowd. The demonstrators tore the signs off the truck, and attacked the driver, who drove toward a group of LAPD officers. Individuals from the crowd jumped out of the truck’s path of travel to avoid being struck. Officers formed a skirmish line between the box truck and the crowd and took the driver into custody.”
The truck had its window and side mirrors shattered and was stopped several blocks away and surrounded by police cars. The truck was searched and impounded but authorities said nothing of significance was discovered.
Demonstrators attempted to remove a sign attached to the side of the truck that read, “No Shah. No Regime. USA: Don’t Repeat 1953. No Mullah.” The Shah of Iran was overthrown in the 1979 Islamic Revolution. In 1953, a coup ousted Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh.
“The protestors had a completely different perception of what was happening, and that was due to the writing that was across the side of his truck,” said protester Ariel Rofeim. “That rhetoric is not something that Iranians are unfamiliar with.”
Rofeim said he tried to alert officers to the truck when it appeared near the protest.
“It was at that time the truck started pressing forward and started coming straight towards me,” he said.
Police eventually issued a dispersal order, and by 5 p.m. the demonstrators began leaving the area.
Activists say a crackdown on nationwide protests in Iran has killed more than 530 people. Protesters flooded the streets in Iran’s capital of Tehran and its second-largest city again Sunday. The demonstrations began Dec. 28 over the collapse of the Iranian currency, as the country’s economy is squeezed by international sanctions in part levied over its nuclear program. The protests intensified and grew into calls directly challenging Iran’s theocracy.