In a swift-moving, pre-dawn operation, LAPD officers in riot gear arrived at USC Sunday and cleared a pro-Palestinian encampment from the center of campus as protesters beat drums and chanted.
It was not immediately know if any arrests were made.
At 4:17 a.m. USC issued an alert saying the LAPD had arrived and that people should leave the park area in the center of campus. Officials gave demonstrators the option to leave before being arrested. A group of about 30 protesters left the encampment as LAPD pushed them toward the university’s Jefferson Boulevard entrance.
“Free, free Palestine” demonstrators chanted when they faced police at the perimeter, beating drums as helicopters hovered overhead.
At about 5 a.m., police entered the core of the encampment and began dismantling tents, leaving behind posters and the makeshift barriers. A perimeter was set up outside the university park area where media and protesters gathered. By 6 a.m. the encampment area appeared empty and quiet.