The police chief at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has been temporarily reassigned after violence erupted at pro-Palestinian protests on the university’s campus.
In a statement “about campus security processes,” said Mary Osako, vice chancellor of strategic communications at the university, who the school named Gawin Gibson as interim police chief on Tuesday.
“John Thomas has been temporarily reassigned pending a review of our security processes,” the statement said. “As we said on May 5, UCLA has created a new Office of Campus Safety that is conducting a thorough examination of our safety processes with the goal of improving the well-being and safety of our community.”
It is unknown where Thomas was transferred to and whether he still works in the university police department, or when he will return to his previous position.
UCLA was one of many universities across the country that fought pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campus. The students set up a camp as they called on their school to divest from Israeli companies or companies that supply weapons to Israel in the ongoing war with Hamas.
Pro-Israel counterprotesters clashed with protesters in late April. Counter-protesters attempted to break through barriers erected by the university to separate the two protest groups, resulting in physical altercations.
Thomas told the Los Angeles Times in early May that he tried “everything he could” to keep students safe during the altercation. Still, his response was criticized and the university ordered a review of its security procedures, the Associated Press (AP) reported.
Police began dismantling the pro-Palestinian camp and there were around 200 arrests as of April 30, the AP noted.
Following the altercation, Osako released a statement denouncing the confrontation and said the university is “heartbroken” at the outbreak of violence, as the school has a “long history” of being a site for peaceful protests.
The Hill has reached out to the UCLA Police Department for further comment on Thomas’ transfer.
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