Jan. 11 (UPI) — A box truck rammed through a crowd demonstrating in support of protesters in Iran on Sunday, injuring two people, authorities said.
The incident occurred at about 3:30 p.m. PST in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles.
Uncorroborated video of the incident posted online shows a U-Haul truck driving through the crowd of seemingly hundreds of people at 1350 S. Midvale Avenue.
Signage seen on the side of the truck’s cargo box included the message: “No Shah. No Regime. USA: Don’t repeated 1953. No Mullah.”
The Los Angeles Fire Department said in a statement that two people were injured in the incident but they declined transport to a hospital.
The driver of the truck has been detained, the Los Angeles Police Department said.
The LAPD confirmed that an adult male was struck by the vehicle and was treated at the scene.
“This incident is being actively investigated to determine what led to the collision,” the LAPD said.
The LAFD said the crowd was “voluntarily dispersing.”
Bill Essayli, first assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, said on X that authorities were aware of the incident.
“The FBI is on the scene working with LAPD to determine the motive of the driver,” he said in the statement.
“This is an active investigation and we will update the public when we have more information.”
The protest was held in Los Angeles as the Iranian regime, led by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, has responded with escalating violence to mass protests triggered late last month over the country’s deepening economic crisis.
According to the non-governmental Human Rights Activists News Agency, which reports on Iran, at least 544 people have been killed in the last 15 days. Iran Human Rights said the death toll could exceed 2,000, citing sources.
Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the director of IHR, said the killings of protesters “may be even more extensive than we currently imagine” due to Iran being submerged in a Internet blackout since Thursday.
“The Islamic Republic is committing a major international crime against the people of Iran, and the international community is obligated, under international law, to use all available means to stop this crime,” Amiry-Moghaddam said in a statement.
