June 26, 2025 The Newspaper Serving LGBT Los Angeles

UCLA Police Chief John Thomas Departs Amid Fallout From Campus Protest Response

Departure Follows Criticism of UCLA’s Handling of Violent Attack on Students

UCLA Police Chief John Thomas has officially left his position, according to a brief social media statement from the UCLA Police Department. His last day was December 10, 2024. Captain Scott Scheffler has been appointed interim police chief while the university searches for a permanent replacement.

Chief Thomas’ departure comes seven months after a night of vigilante violence on April 30, when a mob of approximately 100 people attacked the Palestine Solidarity Encampment on campus. The incident, which stretched into the early hours of May 1, left students, faculty, and journalists on their own and without any protection during an attack where pepper spray, fireworks, and blunt instruments were used to attempt to break into the encampment. 

During the four-hour assault, neither the UCLA administrators, the UCLA Police Department, private security, nor the Los Angeles Police Department intervened until Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass ordered LAPD to respond at 1:47 a.m. 

The night’s events seem out of the ordinary because nearly any time a group of protesters gathered since 2020 in Los Angeles, police are immediately dispatched with riot gear, “less lethal” weapons, and shields in short order, usually in under an hour. 

Thomas was also criticized for the LAPD and CHP raid on the encampment on the night of May 1 during which 200 students and others were arrested. Students were shot with rubber bullets from “less lethal” weapons, tear gas, batons, and flash bangs after enduring the previous night’s attack. During a CAIR question and answer session, Interim Chancellor Darnell Hunt, a Vice-Chancellor at the time, refused to answer student questions about who made the decision, implying that the decision was out of his hands.

Thomas was “temporarily reassigned” after the attack but up until this week, no other information had been released by UCPD regarding Thomas’ employment. 

In the wake of Chief Thomas’ departure, Wade Stern, president of the Federated University Peace Officers Association (FUPOA), issued a statement criticizing UCLA leadership and defending Thomas’ record. Stern argued that UCLA administrators failed to provide clear directives or involve the police department in planning for campus protests, resulting in disorganized and ineffective responses.

“The departure of former UCLA Police Chief John Thomas underscores the glaring lack of accountability among UCLA administrators for the disorganized and ineffective response to last spring’s campus protests,” Stern said.

Stern added, “As we have said since May, the UCLA administration owns the failure of any protest response, and the public should reject their attempts to shift blame to law enforcement. The recently released “Independent Investigation & After-Action Review” on the UCLA response to the protests in April-May is a damming indictment of the UCLA campus leadership. Issuing reports and making empty promises of corrective action without holding any administrators accountable is both unacceptable and emblematic of systemic negligence. Chief Thomas, a dedicated leader, deserves far better than to be scapegoated for the administration’s repeated failures and poor decision-making. This situation demands accountability and meaningful reform, not deflection.”

Rick Braziel and UCLA have not released any statements or a response to the FUPOA statement.

in NEWS
Related Posts

Santa Monica Police Arrest Shooting Suspect After Officer Ambushed Near Downtown Mall

June 26, 2025

June 26, 2025

Man Linked to Waymo Vehicle Gunfire Taken Into Custody Following Tense Manhunt The suspect wanted in connection with a shooting...

Brentwood Weekend Specials: $9 Wine & Street Tacos, Blush-Inspired Lattes & Beauty Swag

June 26, 2025

June 26, 2025

Street Tacos and Wine Meets Self-Care in Brentwood and Santa Monica Brentwood Fine Wines will welcome back local culinary favorite...

Michelin Stars Shine Bright on LA: Somni West Hollywood and Providence Earn Top Honors

June 26, 2025

June 26, 2025

Two Restaurants in Los Angeles Receive Three Stars as Michelin Guide Celebrates Bold Flavors The MICHELIN Guide California 2025 celebrated...

Cherished Culver City Ice Cream Vendor Abducted in Broad Daylight

June 26, 2025

June 26, 2025

Ambrocio “Enrique” Lozano’s Disappearance Led To Grassroots Action Ambrocio Lozano, also known in the neighborhood as Enrique, was abducted around...

Los Angeles County Honors LGBTQ+ Trailblazers in Annual Pride Celebration

June 24, 2025

June 24, 2025

Supervisor Solis Leads Recognition of Five Local Leaders and Organizations Los Angeles County Chair Pro Tem and First District Supervisor...

Masked Federal Agents Detain Iranian Asylum Seeker and Wife in Westwood

June 24, 2025

June 24, 2025

31-Year-Old Woman was Hospitalized After Possible Medical Emergency On Tuesday, June 24, between 11:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., near the...

Culver City Pride Rolls In with Sunset Ride and Rally June 28

June 24, 2025

June 24, 2025

Celebrate With a 6-Mile Pride Ride and Free Block Party Culver City will mark its fifth annual Pride celebration on...

Los Angeles Leaders Push to Ban Masks for Federal Agents Amid Immigration Raids

June 24, 2025

June 24, 2025

Concerns Grow Over Anonymous ICE and CBP Officers in Los Angeles   A growing coalition of California lawmakers and local leaders...

From Westwood to DTLA, Angelenos March Against Military Escalation in Iran

June 24, 2025

June 24, 2025

Protestors Rally at the Westwood Federal Building This Weekend Following President Donald Trump’s authorization of airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear-related...

(Video) Food Fight: Chefs Join Forces to Raise Money to Protect Immigrant Families in Venice

June 24, 2025

June 24, 2025

Estrano, Little Dynamite, Sunday Gravy, Kabob Senpai Answer the Call From Turk’s Pizza Party. Dave Turkel Put This Food Resistance...

Margaret Cho Says Ellen DeGeneres Was ‘Weird and Not Nice’ Throughout Their Careers

June 24, 2025

June 24, 2025

Comedian Recalls Strained Interactions Dating Back to the 1980s Margaret Cho is shedding light on her long-standing discomfort with fellow...

Squatter-Plagued Beverly Grove Buildings Could Be Razed After Hazard Cleanup

June 24, 2025

June 24, 2025

Demolition of Three Abandoned Apartments May Begin in Two Weeks Three abandoned apartment buildings in Beverly Grove may soon be...

JoJo Siwa Bows Out of Chicago Pride After Saying She Felt Pressured to Label Her Sexuality

June 23, 2025

June 23, 2025

Singer Cancels Pride Set After Revealing Struggles with Queer Label Expectations JoJo Siwa has withdrawn from a scheduled appearance at...

Del Rey Affordable Housing Project to Rise on Former Charter School Site

June 23, 2025

June 23, 2025

Community Corp., Local Faith Group Team Up to Build 122 New Apartments Plans are moving forward for a new residential...

Paris Hilton Buys Mark Wahlberg’s Beverly Park Mansion for $63.1M

June 22, 2025

June 22, 2025

The Heiress and Media Mogul Joins a Star-Studded Neighborhood Paris Hilton and husband Carter Reum have purchased a high-profile estate...