LOS ANGELES, (CA) — Headlines and widely circulated video clips have shown a U-Haul truck driving through demonstrators during a protest against the Iranian government in Westwood on Sunday. But a review of multiple videos posted online — including footage examined in full by The Inclusive Voices Project — shows that the moments most frequently broadcast occurred after a prolonged confrontation between protesters and the driver that was not in the initial viral footage.
The demonstration took place outside a federal building along Wilshire Boulevard, where hundreds gathered as part of a wave of global protests tied to ongoing unrest in Iran. According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, two people were evaluated at the scene and declined treatment. Los Angeles police said one adult was confirmed to have been struck by the vehicle but did not sustain significant injuries, and no ambulances were called.
The driver of the U-Haul truck was taken into custody and injured during the chaos that followed, according to LAPD Capt. Richard Gabaldon. Police said the man has no prior arrest record and could face a charge of assault with a deadly weapon.
Initial coverage by outlets including all local and national news outlets and the Los Angeles Times centered on a short video showing the truck driving through protesters as people ran alongside it, some striking the vehicle. That clip, recorded after the truck began moving, quickly spread across social media and was rebroadcast by television networks nationwide.
A review of additional videos posted online — including footage reviewed by The Inclusive Voices Project — shows a longer sequence of events that unfolded before the truck began to move.
Those videos appear to show the U-Haul parked on the street as demonstrators surrounded it. At that time, three signs were attached to the vehicle: two yellow signs written in Farsi and a black sign in the center written in English. One yellow sign read, “No Shah, No Regime, People are the Owners to the Country.” The second reads, “Bushehr, Kermanshah, and the Zagros Mountains is ours” — language commonly associated with Iranian nationalist claims over the country’s southwestern regions. The black sign in English read: “No Shah. No Regime. USA: Don’t Repeat 1953. No Mullah.”
The demonstration took place amid sharp ideological divisions within Iran’s opposition movement, both inside the country and across the diaspora. While protesters inside Iran have broadly called for the end of the Islamic Republic, Iranians living in Iran and those abroad remain divided over what should follow. Some demonstrators support Reza Pahlavi, the U.S.-based son of Iran’s last monarch, who has in recent weeks issued public statements urging sustained international protests, civil resistance, and pressure on Western governments to isolate Iran’s clerical leadership. Other opposition groups — including secular republicans, leftist activists, ethnic minority advocates, and student organizations — reject both the current religious government and a return to monarchy, calling instead for a leaderless or decentralized democratic system. These divisions have increasingly surfaced at protests outside Iran, sometimes leading to confrontations among demonstrators with competing visions for the country’s future.
Video reviewed by The Inclusive Voices Project shows the Uhaul parked on the street and protesters chanting the word “shame” as they pounded on the U-Haul and its windows. Several individuals can be seen tearing the yellow signs from the vehicle. One woman, sitting on another protester’s shoulders, pulled down a sign. A man climbed onto the hood and repeatedly struck the windshield as he was encouraged the the crowd to break it. Another individual broke the passenger-side mirror, followed by others shattering the passenger window.
Additional footage appears to show people reaching into the cab, striking the driver, and attempting to pull him from the vehicle. Protesters continued chanting as flagpoles were used to hit the truck and, at times, the driver. A news camera remained filming throughout the encounter.
As the mom around the truck became increasingly anger and louder the situation escalated, the truck then began to move — initially slowly, then at higher speed — as it passed through demonstrators. That moment is the clip most frequently circulated online.
The driver continued while he was chased several blocks by protesters until he was stopped farther down the street, where another crowd surrounded the vehicle. Video shows men reaching through the windows, striking the driver, opening the door, and poking him with a flagpole. One person climbed onto the hood and shattered the windshield with his foot.
Police arrived moments later and pulled the driver from the cab as members of the crowd continued to strike him before officers were able to secure the scene.
The incident unfolded against the backdrop of escalating unrest in Iran, where activists say hundreds of protesters have been killed in recent weeks during a sweeping government crackdown. According to the Associated Press, at least 544 people have died and more than 10,600 have been detained, though independent verification remains difficult due to internet shutdowns and government restrictions.
Demonstrations like the one in Westwood have been held across the United States and internationally, as Iranians in the diaspora and their allies seek to exercise freedoms unavailable to many inside Iran. Human rights groups and journalists have documented protesters in Iran being beaten, detained, or killed for expressing dissent.
The events in Westwood underscore the complexity and volatility of protests tied to deeply divided political histories, even in countries where freedom of expression is protected by law. Investigators continue to review video evidence and witness statements as police determine whether charges will be filed.
Officials said emergency response following Sunday’s incident was delayed due to the size of the crowd surrounding the Wilshire Federal Building. The investigation remains ongoing.
