This post was updated Oct. 3 at 7:30 p.m.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office reached an agreement Aug. 20 with a person who had been accused of firing tear gas and assaulting a journalist at the Palestine solidarity encampment at UCLA.
Eyal Shalom was charged with the felony of illegally using a tear gas weapon May 1, 2024. During the attack, pro-Israel counter-protesters attempted to storm the encampment – set up on Dickson Plaza by pro-Palestine protesters – using fireworks and tear gas, in what Vice Chancellor Mary Osako called “horrific acts of violence.” Campus police took hours to respond to the attacks.
[Related: Pro-Israel counter-protesters attempt to storm encampment, sparking violence]
Journalist Dolores Quintana of the Santa Monica Mirror later alleged on X that Shalom had attacked her with pepper spray on the morning of May 1, 2024.
Quintana said in an emailed statement that the District Attorney’s Office did not inform her that Shalom would be receiving a diversion, nor did it give her the opportunity to share an impact statement.
“The only reason I knew that Shalom had turned himself in and they had made an agreement with him is that I finally went through my phone messages after I recovered and found out to my horror that his escape from justice was already in the works,” she said in the statement. “Had they informed me of the other hearings, I would have ‘dragged my carcass’ in to have my say.” Venusse Dunn, a spokesperson for the District Attorney’s Office, said in an emailed statement that the Office was committed to the fair treatment of crime victims but would not comment specifically on this case.
Shalom initially pled “not guilty” to an indictment from Deputy District Attorney Sergei Shubin. The parties then agreed on a Reconciliation Education and Counseling Crimes of Hate agreement Aug. 20, which will allow Shalom to avoid prison time in exchange for completing 40 hours of individual therapy and 40 hours of group therapy.
Shalom also agreed to complete a 10-hour anti-bias program run by the District Attorney’s Office and write a letter of apology to the victim.
“If (the) participant successfully completes all REACCH program terms as directed by the Gateways Program Director, the People will ask the court to dismiss the case in the interests of justice,” the agreement said.
Quintana also alleged that she gave UCPD evidence of an additional felony assault Shalom had committed. A member of the District Attorney’s Office told her Shalom was not charged for it because UCPD did not pass on the video evidence, she said in the statement.
“The department received and turned over numerous pieces of evidence, including a video provided by the victim,” said Jeffrey Chobanian, UCLA’s acting captain of the operations bureau, in an emailed statement. “We categorically reject any claim that UCLAPD failed to provide evidence.”
Chobanian also said in the statement that reports of what the District Attorney’s Office told Quintana are unverified. Dunn declined to comment on whether UCPD had turned over appropriate evidence or on communications the District Attorney’s Office had with Quintana.
[Related: USAC officers announce additional arrests, warrants related to encampment attack]
Organizations including Students for Justice in Palestine at UCLA and Faculty for Justice in Palestine at UCLA set up the encampment to call for the university to divest from companies associated with Israel, among other demands. A Faculty for Justice in Palestine at UCLA spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment on the cases.
Shalom was one of the last outstanding cases relating to the May 1 attacks.
Edan On, an Israeli teenager who was accused of attacking the encampment with a lead pipe, also avoided jail time, despite having been charged with misdemeanor assault. On was granted a diversion Sept. 22, requiring him to avoid the UCLA campus, complete 50 hours of community service and take part in anti-bias training, according to the Los Angeles Times.
On’s attorney did not respond in court to a question on whether On had since joined the Israeli military, the Times reported.
Malachi Marlan-Librett, who was accused of assault and a hate crime for attacking the encampment, accepted a plea deal in June. Marlan-Librett will have to complete 90 hours of therapy and anti-bias training in exchange for the dismissal of his charges.
Shalom, whose attorney did not comment on the agreement, is scheduled to appear at the Airport Courthouse on Nov. 19 for a progress report on his compliance with the agreement.
“Please note that if the individual does not complete the program then criminal proceedings will be reinstituted,” Dunn said in an emailed statement.
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