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The driver of a U-Haul truck that drove through protesters demonstrating against the Iranian regime in Los Angeles on Sunday, was arrested after he was attacked with flag poles until police arrived to take the man into custody.
Calor Madanescht, 48, was taken into custody by the Los Angeles Police Department on suspicion of reckless driving, the LAPD said Monday. Video shows the crowd of people running toward the truck and surrounding it as people can be heard chanting at the driver behind the wheel.
One member of the crowd climbed onto the truck and stomped on its windshield. Others took flagpoles bearing the Iranian flag and stuck them through an open passenger-side window, appearing to jab the suspect.
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Anti-Iranian regime protesters in Los Angeles swarmed a U-Haul truck that drove through the gathering on Sunday, smashing its windshield and attacking the suspect with flag poles until police arrived to take the man into custody. (Alaleh Kamran via Storyful)
A person was also seen tearing down a banner on the side of the truck that read, in all capital letters, “NO SHAH. NO REGIME. USA: DON’T REPEAT 1953. NO MULLAH.”
As the driver tried to exit the truck through the driver-side door, the crowd could be seen pushing the door closed. Police eventually made their way through the swarm of people and took the man inside the truck into custody.
Police said the adult male driver has been detained pending further investigation. His identity has yet to be released. (Alaleh Kamran via Storyful)
The incident occurred at around 3:30 p.m. Sunday along Veteran Avenue near the Federal Building in the Westwood neighborhood, according to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD).
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“At this time, one person was confirmed struck by the vehicle (an adult male); however, no significant injuries have been reported,” the LAPD said. “A Rescue Ambulance treated the individual at the scene. No one has been transported to the hospital for medical treatment.”
The truck was impounded, but nothing “significant” was discovered inside, the LAPD said.
A driver allegedly drove a U-Haul truck through a crowd during a Los Angeles demonstration in support of the Iranian people on Sunday. (KTTV)
Videos circulating on social media appeared to show a U-Haul truck moving quickly through a dense crowd as people screamed. In one video, a person appeared to hang onto the side of the vehicle and bang on a window as it continued moving.
Hundreds had gathered in the Westwood neighborhood as part of a march backing protesters in Iran. (KTTV)
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The Iranian American Republican Council (IARC) released a statement condemning the incident as a “terrorist attack.”
“We strongly condemn this violent act and call on the appropriate authorities of the United States to conduct a full and transparent investigation and to hold those responsible fully accountable under the law,” the statement read, in part.
The protest comes amid ongoing unrest in Iran, where demonstrations that began over economic grievances have spread nationwide, evolving into a direct challenge to Iran’s clerical leadership.
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The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reports 583 people have been killed in Iran since the unrest erupted two weeks ago.
Fox News Digital’s Sophia Compton and Michel Dorgan contributed to this report.