Four men were arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon for wielding wooden poles during an altercation with people in another vehicle as they left a pro-Israel rally at the Federal Building in Westwood on Sunday, and a federal officer harmlessly opened fire during the melee, officials said.
The rally took place at the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Veteran Avenue and was attended by about 500 people.
It followed one Saturday in support of Palestinians, but pro-Palestinian protesters decrying Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip also showed up Sunday.
A Federal Protective Services officer from the Department of Homeland Security, “having witnessed the assault involving the people with wooden poles, intervened and an officer-involved shooting occurred,” said Deputy Juanita Navarro-Suarez of the Sheriff’s Headquarters Bureau.
No injuries were reported in the assault, she said.
The four men were arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, said Sgt. Keith Ho of the Sheriff’s West Hollywood Station. Authorities did not say which side in the conflict the four supported.
What prompted the federal officer to open fire and the officer’s post-shooting status were not immediately reported.
