Crime & Safety

4 Men Arrested at Pro-Israel Rally Released, Officer who Fired Shot on Paid Leave

The federal agent was responding to an attack by apparent counter-protesters using wooden flagpoles to hit demonstrators.

Originally posted at 12:49 p.m. July 14, 2014. Edited with new details.

Four men arrested for allegedly using wooden flagpoles to attack demonstrators during a pro-Israel rally that led to an officer- involved shooting at the Federal Building in Westwood were released on bail today, while the federal officer who fired a shot during the melee was placed on paid leave.

Sunday's rally took place at the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Veteran Avenue and was attended by about 1,800 people, according to the Federal Protection Service. It followed one Saturday in support of Palestinians, but a group of pro-Palestinian protesters decrying Israel's bombardment of the Gaza Strip also showed up at the Sunday protest, around 5:20 p.m.

Find out what's happening in Westwood-Century Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

An FPS officer from the Department of Homeland Security, "having witnessed the assault involving the people with wooden poles, intervened and an officer-involved shooting occurred," according to Deputy Juanita Navarro- Suarez of the Sheriff's Headquarters Bureau. No injuries were reported in the assault, she said.

Four men were booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, Sgt. Dave Valentine of the sheriff's West Hollywood Station said. They were identified as: Mostadafa Hafez, 19, Haddah Kreidieh, 41, Mohammed Elkhatib, 35, and Fadi Obeidallah, 38, according to the sheriff's department. Bail was set at $30,000 each, and all were released on bail by late morning.

Find out what's happening in Westwood-Century Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

FPS spokeswoman Jacqueline Yost said the officer who discharged his weapon "attempted to stop the four male suspects who were attempting to flee the scene in a vehicle, and discharged one round from his service weapon."

"Subsequently, LAPD officers were able to stop the vehicle, and detained the four male subjects. No injuries were reported, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's office is investigating the incident," Yost said.

The FPS officer agreed to provide a voluntary statement to the sheriff's department in the presence of his union representative, authorities said, and the sheriff's department took custody of his weapon. The officer was placed on paid administrative leave, as is the agency's policy whenever a weapon is discharged by one of its officers, pending a use of force review, according to the agency.

The suspects allegedly were in a truck with a Palestinian flag when a pro-Israel protester grabbed the flag and stepped on it, and they got out of the vehicle and used the wooden sticks holding their flags to hit the demonstrators, according to reports from the scene.

--City News Service


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.

More from Westwood-Century City