UCLA Protesters Sue LAPD, CHP Over Rubber Bullet Use

UCLA student protesters have filed a lawsuit against the state of California, the City of Los Angeles, and multiple law enforcement agencies, alleging excessive and violent use of rubber bullets and other force during last spring's Gaza solidarity encampment. The suit details how over 700 officers from various agencies descended on campus, firing more than 50 rounds of rubber bullets and causing severe injuries, including bone fractures and internal bleeding, as well as significant emotional trauma. Plaintiffs argue that these tactics violated state law limiting rubber bullet use and created a chilling effect on free speech and protest activity. The legal action also highlights that police did little to intervene while counter-protesters attacked pro-Palestine demonstrators with fireworks and chemical agents the night before the encampment was cleared. Lawyers for the protesters seek to hold state and city officials accountable for what they describe as authoritarian repression of student activism. The LAPD and California Highway Patrol have declined to comment on the ongoing litigation.