LOS ANGELES — Law enforcement officers have arrested a man suspected of driving a U-Haul box truck into a group of demonstrators protesting the Iranian government Sunday afternoon in west Los Angeles.
Calor Madanescht, 48, was booked on a reckless driving charge — a misdemeanor — with $0 bail, Los Angeles police said in a statement Monday. Inmate records show Madanescht was released Monday afternoon on his own recognizance.
It was not immediately clear whether he has been assigned or hired a lawyer. A request for comment sent to an email address possibly belonging to Madanescht was not immediately returned Monday night. His next court date is scheduled for Feb. 2, according to inmate records.
The incident occurred outside the Federal Building near a neighborhood locally referred to as “Tehrangeles” because of the large number of Iranians who have emigrated there. Demonstrators Sunday waved the flag of Iran from before the Islamic Revolution and called for an end to the repressive regime.
The Iranian government has been cracking down on nationwide demonstrations in response to high prices for everyday goods.
According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, a watchdog based in the United States, more than 600 people had been killed in Iran as of Monday since the protests began, including 505 protesters and 133 military and law enforcement personnel. Nearly 600 other reports of deaths are under review, the group reported.
The true scale of the government crackdown has been difficult to gauge because of an internet and phone blackout in the country.
The truck that appeared to drive into a crowd of protesters Sunday bore a banner that read “No Shah. No Regime. USA: Don’t Repeat 1953. No Mullah,” an apparent reference to the U.S.-backed coup that toppled Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh and paved the way for the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
According to police, officers stopped the truck and instructed the driver to turn around. Instead, police said, the truck continued to drive toward the crowd, prompting some protesters to jump out of the way.
The truck kept going even as demonstrators chased after it and smashed windows, videos showed. The vehicle struck a man, police said, but no serious injuries were reported. Two people were evaluated at the scene but declined treatment, the Los Angeles Fire Department said.
Officers took the driver into custody and searched the truck. Nothing “significant” was found, the police department said.
