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Pro-Palestinian Attackers Spit On, Assault Israel Supporters
Eyewitnesses: Pro-Israel marchers targeted with sticks, tire iron
BY: Adam Kredo
July 14, 2014 3:50 pm
Pro-Israel demonstrators in Los Angeles were violently targeted by several
men waving Palestinian flags on Sunday afternoon, prompting a Department of
Homeland Security (DHS) officer at the scene to fire his weapon at the
attackers as they assaulted participants, according to DHS officials and
eyewitness accounts from private security officials at the rally.
The incident took place Sunday afternoon while a group of pro-Israel
supporters were peacefully rallying in support of the Jewish state as it
defends itself from attacks by the terror group Hamas.
The peaceful pro-Israel rally, organized by the Israel-American Council
(IAC), took a violent turn at around 5:30 P.M.
Several men in a pick-up truck waving Palestinian flags pulled into the
crowd and began shouting obscenities and spitting on the pro-Israel
demonstrators, according to accounts provided by two employees of Advance
Security Concept (ASC), which had been hired by the IAC to provide security.
The four Palestinian supporters eventually emerged from their truck with
"sticks" and a "tire iron" and began attacking the pro-Israel faction after
a heated argument, according to written accounts by the two ASC officials
that were obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.
A DHS officer on the scene was said to have discharged his weapon at the
attackers after he was targeted, according to the written accounts, which
provide a detailed window into the chaotic incident.
A spokeswoman for the Federal Protective Service (FPS), which operates out
of DHS, confirmed to the Free Beacon that one shot was fired at the
pro-Palestinian attackers when they attempted to flee the scene after
injuring a female Israel supporter.
"The four men in the truck wave Palestine flags, scream obscenities at
crowd, and spit at them," ASC official Steve Shampine wrote in an internal
security statement obtained by the Free Beacon. "The Israelis shout back and
advance [toward] truck. The men get out of truck with sticks and [a] tire
iron."
Shampine quickly moved to place himself between the two sides in a bid to
diffuse the tension.
That is when "a Palestine man starts whacking his stick and gets me a few
times," Shampine recounted in his statement. "The other men start hitting
the Israelis. One of my partners came to help me and the men threw a tire
iron at him, just missing his head."
At that point the FPS officer "came running in to help, and the men threw
something at him," Shampine recalled. "He drew his gun and shouted for them
to stop."
The pro-Palestinian attackers ignored these calls and ran back to their
truck, attempting "to drive away recklessly," according to Shampine. "The
[FPS] agent then fired a shot, right next to me, into the back of the truck.
They continued to drive away."
A second ASC employee confirmed details of the incident in a separate
statement.
FPS spokeswoman Jacqueline Yost confirmed that one shot was fired at the
vehicle.
"At approximately 5:20 p.m., FPS requested an ambulance for a female who was
injured after allegedly being assaulted by four males," Yost told the Free
Beacon in a statement. "An FPS law enforcement officer on-site 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."
Los Angeles Police Department officers were eventually able to stop the
vehicle and detain the four male suspects, Yost said.
"No injuries were reported and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office is
investigating the incident," Yost said.
A FPS official familiar with the incident further told the Free Beacon that
the officer who fired his weapons "has agreed to provide a voluntary
statement" to the Los Angeles sheriff's office.
"The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office has taken custody of the firearm as
evidence," the source said.
The FPS officer is now on paid administrative leave as a result of the
incident, in accordance with FPS policy, the source added.
"It's a perfect example of the danger that radical Islam poses here in
America," said Adam Milstein, an IAC board member. "We were having a
peaceful rally with 3,000-5,000 Jews and Christians on three corners of the
intersection and about one hundred peaceful pro-Palestinians on the fourth
corner. Each group respected the other. The Islamists came all the way from
Anaheim with the intention to attack our peaceful demonstration. If they
attack a peaceful demonstration today, and nothing is done, what's to stop
them from attacking a synagogue or a school next?"
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