A U-Haul truck plowed into a dense crowd of Los Angeles demonstrators rallying in solidarity with Iranian protesters on January 11, 2026, sending people scrambling and sparking chaos on Westwood’s Veteran Avenue. Videos from the scene show the truck accelerating through marchers before being stopped and surrounded by an angry crowd; police detained the driver pending further investigation.
Thankfully, no one suffered life-threatening injuries, though at least one person was struck and two others were evaluated by paramedics, according to first responders and multiple news crews on site. The truck bore a banner reading “NO SHAH. NO REGIME. USA: DON’T REPEAT 1953. NO MULLAH,” a slogan that has circulated among Iranian opposition circles and which only deepens the mystery about the driver’s intent.
Footage shows protesters immediately swarming the vehicle, smashing windows and using flagpoles to pin the driver until officers could make an arrest, a chaotic civic intervention that likely prevented far worse loss of life. Call it what you will, but that moment was ordinary Americans stepping up to stop a potential massacre when the system had not yet.
Federal agents and the LAPD moved in to investigate, and prosecutors have said the incident is being examined as a possible assault with a deadly weapon; the FBI was reported on the scene as authorities tried to determine motive. The facts matter — we should let investigators do their work — but there must also be vigorous transparency so the public isn’t left guessing while political opportunists spin narratives.
Where was the reasonable crowd control that should protect peaceful demonstrators exercising their rights? Los Angeles has a pattern of letting unrest overflow while ordinary citizens bear the risk; that’s unacceptable. Local leaders who preach tolerance must also ensure public safety or step aside for people who will enforce law and order.
This incident didn’t occur in a vacuum — it’s part of a broader wave of courage in Iran and among Iranian-Americans demanding freedom from a brutal theocratic regime. Washington and our media elites would do well to stop equivocating and to support those who want liberty rather than pretending every street protest is simply another partisan spectacle.
If the driver is found to have acted with political or extremist motives, prosecutors should pursue the harshest appropriate charges, and elected officials should fast-track measures to deter vehicle-ramming attacks that target crowds. Companies that rent vehicles must also face scrutiny for how easily heavy equipment can be weaponized on public streets if safeguards aren’t strengthened.
Patriotic Americans should stand with those risking everything for freedom in Iran and right here at home. Demand a full investigation, accountability for whoever ordered or enabled this attack, and real action from leaders who too often only offer words while citizens bleed and act to save their neighbors.
