Protesters detained as police dismantle UCLA encampment
Buses were ready for protesters to be taken away from the UCLA campus, as police moved in and detained several people this morning, according to footage from the scene.
Protesters could be seen on the floor with their hands in zip ties, while others were led away by California Highway Patrol officers as a large amount of flashbangs were set off in order to subdue the protest.
Police moved in after 3 a.m. (6 a.m.) this morning after a long standoff but some protesters are still defying orders to leave.
Watch: Police attempt to dismantle a barricade at the UCLA encampment
After an overnight standoff, police appeared to begin to dismantle barricades at the UCLA encampment early this morning.
Police move in, begin tearing down UCLA encampment after long standoff
Police in riot gear have begun moving in and pulling down boards that pro-Palestinian protesters had used to fortify their encampment on the UCLA campus. Tents and gazebos were carried away by officers.
A series of loud bangs can be heard — NBC Los Angeles reporter Anastassia Olmos is on the scene and reported that flashbangs were being set off by police.
Several hundred officers arrived on campus in a series of buses through the early morning, hours after the encampment had been declared unlawful at 6 p.m. yesterday.
Officers had spent at least 30 minutes in a tense standoff with a crowd that had turned up to support the encampment, which was blocking a main stairway into the Royce Quad where the encampment has been for days. At 3 a.m. (6.a.m) those blocking the stairs were seen walking away with their hands raised.
Several protesters were seen to be detained by police, one of them shouting “free Palestine.”
