Los Angeles, California – In the wake of a violent attack on a pro-Palestinian student encampment at UCLA, campus Police Chief John Thomas found himself under scrutiny for the delayed law enforcement response that failed to prevent the chaos that unfolded.
Before the attack took place, campus leadership had urged Thomas to create a safety plan to protect the UCLA community as tensions escalated at the encampment. However, despite being directed to spare no expense in ensuring the safety of the campus, Thomas did not provide a plan to senior UCLA leadership in a timely manner.
Calls for Thomas to step aside are mounting as University of California President Michael V. Drake launches an independent review of UCLA’s response to the incident. The timeline leading up to the attack has raised questions about when officials decided to bring in additional support from other agencies and whether help could have arrived sooner.
The UCLA Police Department had reportedly requested additional police officers from other campuses days before the attack, but the requests were canceled by Thomas as the protests were deemed peaceful at the time. This decision ultimately left only a handful of on-duty UCLA police officers to handle the situation as it escalated into violence.
The attack began late at night when a large group of agitators descended upon the encampment, assaulting campers, tearing down barricades, and causing chaos. The limited police presence struggled to contain the situation, leading to injuries among campers and journalists covering the event.
As the aftermath of the attack unfolded, UCLA declared the encampment unlawful and subsequently dismantled it, leading to clashes and the arrest of over 200 protesters. The incident has sparked internal questions about the handling of campus security and the need for a more effective response in the future.
Moving forward, the UC Board of Regents convened for a closed-door meeting to address the campus protests and evaluate the lessons learned from the violent incident. The scrutiny surrounding Thomas’ actions and the overall campus security protocols has pushed UCLA to reevaluate its security measures and strive for a more proactive approach in handling similar situations in the future.