Truck Drives Into Crowd Supporting Iranian Protesters In Los Angeles

A video showed the protesters swarming the truck, throwing punches at the driver, and thrusting flagpoles through the driver's side window.

12 Jan 2026, 01:22 · NDTV

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A truck drove into a crowd supporting Iranian protesters in Los Angeles
The incident occurred in Westwood, a suburb of Los Angeles
It is unclear whether any injuries resulted from the incident

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A man plowed a truck into a crowd gathered in Los Angeles to show support for Iranian protesters, causing them to scramble out of the way and then run behind the speeding vehicle in an attempt to attack it.

It was not clear whether there were any injuries.

A video showed the protesters swarming the truck, throwing punches at the driver, and thrusting flagpoles through the driver's side window. The U-Haul truck, with its side mirrors shattered, was stopped several blocks away from where it ran into the crowd and surrounded by police cars.

However, it is not yet known if the driver was arrested.

Two people were evaluated by paramedics, and both declined treatment, the Los Angeles Fire Department said.

Hundreds of people had gathered in Los Angeles in support of the Iranian people - who are protesting against Iran's clerical establishment - making it the biggest anti-government protests since 2022. The demonstrations began in response to soaring inflation, before turning into violent unrest.

The crackdown on the nationwide protests has killed more than 530 people, and even more and feared dead, activists reportedly said. Over 10,600 people have also been detained during the two weeks of protests, the Associated Press reported, citing the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency.

The internet and phone lines have been cut off in the country. Videos sent out of Iran - likely using Starlink satellite transmitters, purportedly showed the protesters gathering in Tehran's Punak neighbourhood. Demonstrators can be seen waving their mobile phones with their flashlights on, while some banged metal as fireworks went off.

The Iranian government accused the US and Israel of fomenting unrest.

What Trump said

Donald Trump said the United States is considering "very strong options" in response to developments in Iran amid reports of the rising death count. Asked if Iran is crossing the red line, Trump said, "They're starting to, it looks like, and there seem to be some people killed that aren't supposed to be killed. These are violent if you call them leaders. I don't know if they're leaders or just they rule through violence."

According to Trump, the US military is closely monitoring the situation.

"We're looking at it very seriously. The military's looking at it, and we're looking at some very strong options. We'll make a determination," he said.

The US President also said that he plans to speak with billionaire Elon Musk about restoring the internet in Iran. "He's very good at that kind of thing, he's got a very good company," Trump told reporters in response to a question about whether he would engage with Musk's SpaceX company, which offers a satellite internet service, 'Starlink', that has been used in Iran.

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