No crime charges filed in attack on pro-Palestinian protesters at UCLA

A pro-Israel counterprotester will not face aggravated assault charges in connection with an alleged attack on residents of a Palestinian solidarity camp at UCLA last month, District Attorney George Gascón’s office announced Friday.

Instead, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office said that after reviewing the evidence against 18-year-old Edan On, the case was forwarded to the city attorney’s office for possible misdemeanor proceedings.

On was identified as a counter-protester at a pro-Palestinian demonstration on the UCLA campus on April 30. In widely shared videos, a masked man in a white hoodie can be seen repeatedly hitting protesters with a pole. Law enforcement sources identified the man as On and video of his actions was first broadcast by CNN.

UCLA police interviewed witnesses and victims in connection with the violence that erupted at the camp, reviewed security camera footage of the masked man, and later identified him as On. Pro-Israel counter-protesters armed with fireworks, pepper spray and blunt objects violently attacked students and faculty at the camp for hours as private security guards and campus police watched from afar.

On was arrested by police at a Beverly Hills store on May 23 on suspicion of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, police said at the time. He was being held in a Los Angeles County jail on $30,000 bail, and his arrest was the first in connection with the violent scene that unfolded at UCLA.

A statement from Gascón’s office said he assaulted one person during the clashes at UCLA between 12:30 p.m. on April 30 and 1:30 a.m. on May 1.

Gascón’s office reviewed the evidence in the case but “could not establish beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. On’s conduct proximately caused the victim’s injury.”

Gascón goes on to say that “there is no evidence that Mr. On was working with any other individuals, and our investigation has not revealed any evidence of any conspiracy or organized action by Mr. On in connection with the incident.”

There are no other alleged victims in this case, the public prosecutor’s office said. The public prosecutor’s office did not initially respond to requests for comment on the case.

“This referral is consistent with our commitment to apply the law fairly and ensure justice is done based on the available evidence,” Gascón’s office said.

Prosecutors are currently investigating another case related to the attacks on the UCLA camp, but details have not been released.

Protesters set up camp on the UCLA campus to demand that the university ditch all financial ties to Israel in light of the country’s ongoing war on Gaza in response to an October 7, 2023, terrorist attack.

Following the April 30 brawl, On’s mother posted an online comment about his involvement.

In a now-deleted Facebook post, Sharon On-Siboni shared a photo of her son from a Fox 11 news segment at UCLA, which she captioned in Hebrew: “Edan went to harass the Palestinian students in the tents at UCLA and played the song they played to the Nukhba terrorists in prison!” according to a law enforcement source.