The Brief

Hundreds of law enforcement officers in riot gear cleared out a pro-Palestinian encampment at UCLA early Thursday, firing flash bangs and dismantling barriers.

UCLA Chancellor Gene Block released a statement Thursday confirming that 200 people were arrested. UCLA associate professor Graeme Blair told LAist that around 10 of those arrested were faculty members.

A tense standoff at UCLA has officers begin making arrests early Thursday and dismantling a pro-Palestinian encampment that went up a week ago.

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Brian Feinzimer for LAist

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After initially forming a line and holding it, officers began to move more aggressively before 5 a.m., pushing back protesters holding makeshift shields and lobbing items at the police line.

In short order, they cleared dozens of protesters who had set up on the front portico of Royce Hall, where pro-Palestinian graffiti had been spray painted on the ornate stone doorways and scores of flyers taped on pillars and screwed into the barricaded front doors. By 5:15 a.m. the encampment was clear, with only a small contingent of protesters remaining.

A CHP officer tears down tents while clearing the Palestine solidarity encampment at Dickson Plaza outside of Royce Hall on the campus of UCLA in the early morning hours of May 2, 2024.

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Brian Feinzimer

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CHP officers face off demonstrators while clearing the Palestine solidarity encampment at Dickson Plaza outside of Royce Hall on the campus of UCLA in the early morning hours of May 2, 2024.

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Brian Feinzimer

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The initial police action began about nine hours after the first order to disperse was made. Law enforcement first declared the protest an unlawful assembly about 6:15 p.m. Wednesday night.

Then by around 3:15 a.m. Thursday, officers began breaking down tents and dismantling plywood boards to remove a makeshift barrier wall erected by protesters in the week since the encampment went up.

By the time CHP officers removed most barricades along the east side of the encampment, the number of protesters had thinned significantly in the early morning hours.

Earlier, the LAPD told LAist that the CHP would be leading the operation, but the department and the L.A. County Sheriff's Department also had a heavy presence on campus. Many students said ahead of the move by police that they were willing to be arrested.

Block, who held a special UCLA Alumni Town Hall on Thursday, said the protests had been overall peaceful, but that the encampment became a focal point for serious violence.

"It left us with very strong feelings. The fact that the encampment represents not only a risk to the students inside the encampment, because it's very hard to protect their security unless you have a very large number of police continually guarding the encampment," Block said during the virtual town hall.

When asked if university disciplinary action would be taken, Block said it’ll be on a case by case basis.

“It's very different, obviously someone who's actively resistant and may have even, you know, really assaulted to a police officer though. Some of those are quite serious and should have consequences clearly” Block said. “I should emphasize students were all free to leave before they became arrested. They were told to leave the encampment, and many did just walk out and leave. So this was really a choice. It wasn't the police surrounding them and they (were) stuck. They could leave.”

The university will also continue to investigation the attack overnight Tuesday by counterprotesters and the security measures employed, Block said.

Earlier in the night

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators lined up in anticipation of law enforcement clearing the Palestine solidarity encampment at Dickson Plaza outside of Royce Hall on the campus of UCLA in the early morning hours of May 2, 2024.

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As a police helicopter circled overhead for hours, many people on campus wore face masks. Some even had gas masks, saying they were worried police or counterprotesters would use tear gas or pepper spray on them.

The move to clear the encampment came after a night of violence from Tuesday into Wednesday.

UCLA canceled classes Wednesday after students and journalists reported that counterprotesters attacked the pro-Palestinian encampment, leading to more than a dozen injuries. Then, Wednesday evening, UCLA officials said classes would be remote Thursday and Friday and employees were "encouraged to work remotely." They also advised people to avoid Royce Quad, where the protests are taking place.

UC President Michael Drake, who oversees the University of California system, said Wednesday that he ordered an independent outside review of UCLA's planning and actions surrounding the overnight violence between pro-Palestinian demonstrators and counterprotesters.

Inside the encampment after police declared an unlawful gathering

Pro-Palestinian protesters work together to screw signs onto barricaded front doors at Royce Hall on UCLA's campus Wednesday night. Protesters said they were concerned police could come through the building into the encampment.

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Brian Feinzimer for LAist

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As officers moved around outside of the encampment — an area fortified by plywood — protesters and observers remained largely calm.

Many people inside the encampment wore construction, bicycle or other types of helmets in anticipation of another confrontation with pro-Israeli counterprotesters or police.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators observe law enforcement massed outside of the Palestine solidarity encampment at Dickson Plaza outside of Royce Hall on the campus of UCLA in the late evening hours of May 1, 2024.

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“Most people are getting ready in case the cops try to do something violent against them,” said Mahmoud Abobaker, a 28-year-old film and TV major who is Palestinian American. “Everybody is expecting something.”

The mood was at once anxious and festive, with a couple of drummers and a trumpet playing near one end of the camp. Others chanted slogans in support of Palestine. A small group of Muslims got on their knees as a man chanted the traditional call to prayer over a bullhorn.

A Pro-Palestinian demonstrators sleeps ahead of law enforcement clearing the Palestine solidarity encampment at Dickson Plaza outside of Royce Hall on the campus of UCLA in the late evening hours of May 1, 2024.

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UCLA student Sydney Do helps pass out food from Muslims of LA to pro-Palestinian demonstrators at the Palestine solidarity encampment at Dickson Plaza outside of Royce Hall on the campus of UCLA in the early morning hours of May 2, 2024.

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Several Palestinian flags blew in a light breeze. Many wore Keffiyehs.

Some people lounged inside their tents. Others walked about the encampment visiting with friends. Still others secured the plywood they’d put up on around the perimeter.

Around 10 p.m., a large number of people not involved in the camp rallied outside of it in support of the students.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators pray at the Palestine solidarity encampment at Dickson Plaza outside of Royce Hall on the campus of UCLA in the late evening hours of May 1, 2024.

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All the while, majestic Royce Hall, much of it covered in pro-Palestinian graffiti and signage, stood witness to it all.

Sarah Adams, who works for UCLA’s humanities department, said she was on the outskirts of the encampment in the early hours of Thursday “to watch out for our students and protect them and be there for them as best as we could.”

“A lot of us are tired, we're angry, we're upset at our university, we're upset at the way that students who pay tuition and staff and faculty who give their labor, who care so much about the school, the way that we've been treated by our school,” Adams, a trained medic, said.

Blair, an associate professor of political science, was one of the faculty members arrested during the dispersal.

He said he shared a jail bus with some of the arrested students and was “amazed by their resilience in the face of the horrible, violent attacks by outsiders and their focus on their mission.”

L.A. Mayor and others condemn violence

The scene Wednesday night at UCLA.

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Brian Feinzimer for LAist

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Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement Wednesday that she met with various law enforcement agencies, including LAPD and UCPD, about the “absolutely detestable violence on campus.”

“There must be a full investigation into what occurred on campus last night,” Bass said in a statement. “Those involved in launching fireworks at other people, spraying chemicals and physically assaulting others will be found, arrested, and prosecuted, as well as anyone involved in any form of violence or lawlessness. I want to make sure the message I delivered to law enforcement and other officials earlier today is clear: Free speech will be protected. Violence and bigotry will not.”

In his statement, Drake said the external review would also look at the effectiveness of the mutual aid response and will help address many immediate questions and guide possible future events,.

“Through the early morning hours, mutual aid was summoned from the LAPD and others to help UCLA restore control,” Drake said. “Unfortunately, there are a reported 15 injuries, including one hospitalization. The situation has been stabilized and UCLA Chancellor Gene Block has reiterated that, having declared the encampment unlawful yesterday, he will dismantle it at the appropriate time. My office has requested a detailed accounting from the campus about what transpired in the early morning hours today.”

What happened overnight Tuesday into Wednesday

The Los Angeles Times reported that the violence started close to midnight when a large group of counterprotesters tried to tear down the makeshift barricades surrounding the encampment.

Videos sent to LAist from students on the ground show the counterprotesters launching fireworks into the encampment and using what appears to be bear spray at the pro-Palestinian protesters. Television news footage and images on social media showed some students bleeding from wounds and flushing their faces with water.

Felicia Ford of Inglewood told LAist she arrived shortly after midnight and saw people fighting with bats and poles. She also said fireworks were thrown into the encampment.

"That's not what represents the people that are protesting for a change of what's going on in Israel and the Gaza Strip," she said, adding that once police arrived, they "shut it all down."

Officers in riot gear reportedly arrived around 1:40 a.m., but students said they did not immediately intervene as counterprotesters continued to attack the camp.

Demonstrators restore a protective barrier at an encampment on the UCLA campus, the morning after clashes between Pro-Israel and Pro-Palestinian groups, on May 1, 2024.

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Raymond Durr, a third-year student studying data theory and economics, said counterprotesters have been the agitators.

"The pro-Palestinians are the ones who get punished with threats by the chancellor of disciplinary action, including expulsion, because of the general violence, but we're not the ones causing the violence, so why are we the ones who are getting punished?” said Durr, who identifies as half-Palestinian.

He added that he’s happy with the increased police presence on campus.

"I hope that they stay the night to stop the (pro) Israeli counterprotesters from attacking the encampment," he said.

Tai Min, a 20-year-old sociology major, told LAist that a mob of hundreds of people descended on the encampment with weapons.

“We have folks who had to get sent to the ER,” Min said. “We had a lot of folks who were pepper sprayed, bear maced. There’s folks in the ER with like blunt force trauma.”

The UCLA First Thursdays event scheduled for May 2 in Wilson Plaza has been canceled because of the “distress following the violence on Royce Quad and ongoing tension regarding campus demonstrations,” the university announced Wednesday afternoon.

The backstory

Students and demonstrators have formed a Pro-Palestinian occupation encampment protest on campus at UCLA in front of Royce Hall on April 25, 2024.

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The encampment on UCLA's campus was set up last Thursday, with pro-Palestinian demonstrators demanding an end to Israel's assault on Gaza and divestment by the university from companies. Unlike an earlier encampment across town at USC, UCLA protesters fortified their area with plywood and pallets.

On Sunday night, pro-Israeli protesters set up a counter protest that included a giant screen playing images of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

After some clashes Sunday, a university spokesperson said UCLA would increase security measures. In addition to canceling classes for Wednesday, the university said Royce Hall and Powell Library would remain closed.

Reporting from the scene

Reporters on the ground, including student journalists from the student-run Daily Bruin newspaper, say law enforcement was called in but did not intervene until after the violence broke out. LAist has reached out to the Los Angeles Police Department for comment.

According to the Daily Bruin, the university declared the encampment “unlawful and violates university policy.”

In a message to the Bruin community on Wednesday afternoon, Chancellor Gene Block said:

“However one feels about the encampment, this attack on our students, faculty, and community members was utterly unacceptable. It has shaken our campus to its core and — adding to other abhorrent incidents that we have witnessed and that have circulated on social media over the past several days — further damaged our community’s sense of security.”

He added, “I want to express my sincere sympathy to those who were injured last night, and to all those who have been harmed or have feared for their safety in recent days. No one at this university should have to encounter such violence. Our student affairs team has been reaching out to affected individuals and groups to offer support and connections to health and mental health resources.”

Block said in the statement they will conduct a thorough investigation that may lead to arrests, expulsions, and dismissals. He noted that they’re also carefully examining UCLA’s security processes and encouraged people who’ve encountered violence to report their experiences to UCPD, and those who’ve faced discrimination to contact the campuses’ Civil Rights Office.

“This is a dark chapter in our campus’s history,” Block said in a statement. “We will restore a safe learning environment at UCLA.”

But some students said they haven't heard from the university about the injuries they sustained.

Aidan Doyle, a philosophy and jazz student, told LAist he had a battery thrown at his right cheek.

"As I was trying to keep the metal barriers attached to the barricade, I was dragged out into a group of six men who whipped my back, who attacked me with sticks, who punched my face, and who slashed me with a sharp metal rod," he said.

Aisha Syed, who is part of UCLA's Muslim Student Association, described the pepper spray and fireworks as causing "a burning sensation in my eyes, my mouth, and my throat. It settled into my hijab and into my other clothing, so much so that when I finally went home hours later, that stinging feeling was still there."

The encampment at UCLA on Wednesday, May 1, 2024.

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Nancy Mithlo, a professor who teaches gender studies, told LAist that she’s disappointed in how UCLA has handled the protests.

“They refused to protect our students that were engaging in civil disobedience, were engaging in their right to free speech, that were doing actually what we want them to do here,” Mithlo said.

A group of faculty and staff are demanding in a letter to Block that peaceful protesting students do not face disciplinary action and that the encampment be allowed to continue without an “illegal” designation. The letter concludes by warning that a one-day work stoppage has already been proposed by the Faculty for Justice in Palestine group as they’re prepared to deepen their support for students.

In an interview Wednesday morning with NPR, reporter Steve Futterman said "things have really calmed down" after high tension overnight.

"A few hours ago it was anything but," he said, "there were pro-Palestinian protesters and pro-Israeli counterprotesters essentially facing off. There were numerous scuffles, lots of pushing fist fights, nasty words exchanged."

Samuel Ahmed, a first-year graduate student who is part of UCLA's encampment, told LAist that the community within the camp is feeling "more resolute and more willing to fight for what we're fighting for.”

Ahmed said the violence started around 10 p.m. Tuesday when masked counterprotesters showed up to the encampment, which he said is made up of about 300 tents.

"All of a sudden, people, 30 or 40 students [in the pro-Palestinian camp], just fall to the ground covering their eyes screaming for help," he said. "From there, it was just a nonstop onslaught, a barrage of weaponry just attacked at us, bricks just slamming at our barriers. This persisted for several hours while the university police, the private security they had hired to somehow keep the peace, just stood idly by watching."

Students inside the encampment were starting to wake up shortly after 10 a.m. Wednesday, with one person picking up trash and a strong skunk smell lingering in the air.

Gov. Gavin Newsom said in statements that his office was closely monitoring the situation at UCLA and that he condemns the violence that unfolded.

"The law is clear: The right to free speech does not extend to inciting violence, vandalism, or lawlessness on campus," Newsom said in a statement. "Those who engage in illegal behavior must be held accountable for their actions — including through criminal prosecution, suspension, or expulsion."

Bass said she’s spoken with Newsom and thanked him for his continued support.

Muslim community leaders respond

Amir Mertaban, the executive director of Islamic Society of Orange County reached UCLA at around 1:00 a.m. Wednesday morning. He said community leaders in the Muslim community were responding after receiving multiple calls, messages, and texts from students in the encampments.

“I saw was something that I never thought I would ever see in L.A. and that was students getting attacked, and at night, with the lights on, masked students with pepper spray, bear spray, mace, pipes, bats,” Mertaban said. “I never thought I would see this level of violent attacks on students at UCLA, while UCPD, the LAPD, the Sheriffs, Highway Patrol, all had their backs turned while this was happening right behind them.”

Many of the students, he said, had to be transported to hospital by car.

Mertaban added that doctors from the Muslim community also rushed to UCLA overnight to set up a makeshift medic tent within the encampment with milk, saline and other supplies.

“The Muslims, Palestinians and their supporters are concerned for the safety of our communities,” he said. “We haven't seen this vitriol and violence since 9/11.”

Mertaban said he visited the encampment over the weekend too and “nothing violent is happening.”

UCLA Health did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

How we're reporting this

LAist reporters Yusra Farzan and Frank Stoltze reported from the campus throughout the day. Stoltze remained on the scene until late Wednesday. Makenna Sievertson reported from LAist's newsroom. Farzan wrote and reported earlier in the morning from sources at the camp and official statements. Karina Gacad, Tiffany Ujiiye, Megan Garvey and Jason Wells have done editing on this breaking news coverage.

This is a developing story. We fact check everything and rely only on information from credible sources (think fire, police, government officials, community organizers and reporters on the ground). We do our best to verify the information being provided is accurate. Sometimes, however, we make mistakes and/or initial reports turn out to be wrong. In all cases, we strive to bring you the most accurate information in real time and will update this story as new information becomes available.

Something unusual is happening with only a few days remaining before the U.S. men's national team opens its World Cup campaign against Paraguay: Tickets for the match are not sold out.

Although numbers fluctuate regularly, FIFA's ticketing website still shows 132 tickets left to sell for a game that's set to take place in Los Angeles on Friday. Meanwhile, resale platforms such as StubHub and SeatGeek — and FIFA's own marketplace — also show thousands of tickets on sale.

The number is even higher for Canada's opening match against Bosnia Herzegovina in Toronto on the same day, with 226 tickets left in FIFA's website and a high number of tickets available in resale markets.

That's unusual for high-profile events such as the opening matches of the World Cup — traditionally among the hardest to get tickets in the tournament. This year will feature three hosts in the U.S., Canada and Mexico — but so far only Mexico's opening match against South Africa on Thursday looks to be virtually sold out.

Ticketing experts widely agree on the reason: the prices. FIFA dramatically jacked them up for the tournament — especially for high profile games. The most expensive regular seats for the U.S. opener against Paraguay are priced at $2,735 — more than the final cost for the 2022 World Cup final — while the cheapest are $1,120.

Even President Trump said he wouldn't pay those prices.

"I would certainly like to be there, but I wouldn't pay it either, to be honest with you," Trump told the New York Post in a recent interview.

The other two remaining games for the U.S. national have far fewer tickets available, given that prices are well below the ones for the opening match.

Prices have also fallen sharply

There are not only plenty of tickets left to sell — a number of them are also available below FIFA's face value. According to Ticketdata, which tracks prices across the resale platforms, the cheapest pair of tickets for the opening match for the U.S. and Canada was $951 as of Monday morning, while in FIFA's resale platform, tickets were available for as low as $690.

Other games across the 104-match tournament also still have many tickets left to sell — despite FIFA President Gianni Infantino's claim that every match is "already sold out." That's especially the case for lesser well known teams such as the Jordan against Algeria match, which still had hundreds of unsold seats in the FIFA's web site.

Demand for high-profile tickets such as Argentina and Portugal was far higher, however, with many of those games looking largely sold out.

Will the opening matches sell out?

Whether eventually the U.S. and Canada opening matches will sell out is hard to answer. Throughout the sales process, FIFA has closely guarded how many tickets it has actually sold and how many are left to sell, making it virtually impossible to gauge.

In addition, like other teams, FIFA could also sell tickets in other platforms including third-party ones such as SeatGeek, which can further obscure how many tickets are left to sell.

FIFA and organizers, however, are hoping for a surge in excitement that leads to a last-minute rush of sales for the opening matches as well as for those such as Jordan against Algeria that look far from being sold out.

Ben Shields, a senior lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management, says perceptions so far of the tournament have been shaped by how expensive tickets and travel has been for a tournament taking place across an entire continent.

That, he says, "does not seem to sit well with many."

But that could change.

"The hope or bet — for FIFA is that once the matches start — and the greatest players in the world compete for the most prestigious prize of them all, the sport as business lens will fade into the background and the World Cup will be seen and experienced as the enduring global institution that it is," Shields says. "We shall see."
Copyright 2026 NPR

Orange County’s top elected leaders on Tuesday are set to discuss what to do with $3.7 million recovered from the Andrew Do corruption scheme.

Do is now serving a five-year sentence in federal prison after he admitted to accepting bribes in exchange for awarding millions in tax dollars meant to feed needy seniors and people with disabilities in his district.

As part of the plea deal, Do acknowledged taking more than $800,000 in bribes through his two daughters, including a down payment on the house his youngest daughter Rhiannon Do later forfeited to resolve the criminal case. The scheme was first uncovered by LAist.

Federal officials recovered money from seized bank accounts and two properties connected to Do’s scheme — including the Tustin house his daughter bought.

The county Board of Supervisors is expected to publicly discuss plans for the recovered funds as they make decisions on the overall county budget at their meeting Tuesday. Public comment will also be taken.

What to do with the money?

Ahead of Tuesday’s discussion, Do’s successor said the funds should support residents of his former district who were deprived by Do and his alleged co-conspirators.

“For the past five years, every other district in Orange County has benefitted from the same community funds to support their cities, nonprofits, civic projects which strengthens their communities,” Supervisor Janet Nguyen wrote in a mass email to constituents last week. “However, our district went without because Do stole what belonged to our residents.”

“This money was stolen from the First District, and it must come back to the First District,” Nguyen added.

Nguyen was Do’s mentor and former boss more than a decade ago, before the two had a bitter falling out by 2016.

She encouraged residents of her district to send letters to the board and to speak during public comments.

Several county supervisors told LAist they supported a similar approach, one in which the recovered money goes to support the original intended recipients: seniors and people with disabilities in Do’s former district. Some supervisors have since advocated a broader view of how they’d want to use the money, noting that it was meant to address disruptions caused by the pandemic. Now that years have passed since the initial COVID-19 outbreak and lockdowns, some supervisors argue community needs have changed.

“We are so many years on, and the problems that money originally was to address (mostly Covid impacts) are now behind us, that I think we should have a discussion about how and where to spend it,” Supervisor Don Wagner told LAist via text message in March. “The budget is so tight and the needs so great across the county.”

Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento said he’d work toward a fair distribution of the funds to best serve residents, with a focus on current needs.

“We will definitely consider what areas of the County were harmed by Do’s scheme, but we must also remember that the funds were intended for relief efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic, a threat we are no longer facing,” he said in March. “We also need to consider addressing the current needs of residents with any dollars returned to the county.”

Millions more haven’t been recovered, at least yet

The amount of taxpayer money recovered so far is less than half of the $7.9 million Andrew Do admitted was diverted from specific meal contracts.

In a lawsuit seeking to recover funds, the county alleges the total amount lost in the scheme was even larger: $13.25 million. The county’s suit — scheduled for trial in November 2027 — covers all of the money Do gave to two nonprofits accused in the scheme, Viet America Society and Hand to Hand Relief Organization.

That leaves more than $4 million — and possibly much more — not yet recovered.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office noted they have an ongoing criminal case against Do’s alleged co-conspirator Peter Pham.

“Assuming we obtain a conviction in that matter, we would expect to seek restitution,” the spokesperson, Ciaran McEvoy, said.

Pham left the country on a flight to Taiwan in late 2024 and remains a fugitive, according to McEvoy. The case against him also includes charges against another alleged co-conspirator, Thanh Huong Nguyen, who led the Hand to Hand nonprofit.

Fans of the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team swelled the stadium at the Great Park in Irvine on Monday to watch players practice for the first time since arriving at the training facility they’ll call home for the first round of the 2026 World Cup.

“Seeing them play right now… it was really cool to see how they play and how they practice,” said Mila Ran, who came with her mother from nearby Mission Viejo.

“This whole time she’s saying, 'I want to go shoot, I want to go play,'” said Mila’s mother, Farah Ran.

They were among about 6,000 people who won free entry to the practice in a lottery that received more than 30,000 entries, according to Irvine officials.

Fans got to the venue early.

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The team’s biggest stars — Christian Pulisic, Antonee Robinson and others — showed off their ball handling skills, honed over years of play on U.S. youth fields and overseas in professional leagues. Fans yelled, waved U.S. flags, held up homemade signs, and did the wave several times.

The U.S. Men's National Team at their only open-to-the-public practice session in Irvine.

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After the roughly 45-minute practice, some players walked to the sidelines to take selfies with fans and sign autographs.

The players know it’s going to take more than this, however, to live up to expectations during the World Cup.

US men's national team player Tim Ream signs an autograph for a fan.

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“To be in a position to train in front of these people today… is such a unique opportunity and one that none of us take for granted,” said backup goalie Matt Freese before the practice. “We’re working as hard as we can, as focused as we can to leave the next generation inspired."

The U.S. men’s team and their training staff will use the Great Park facility over the next several weeks as the team plays Paraguay on Friday, Australia on June 19, and Turkey on June 25 in group play at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.

Jury selection began Monday for the trial of the man accused of igniting a fire that led to the deadly and destructive Palisades Fire, which killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of structures.

Jonathan Rinderknecht is charged with one count of destruction of property by means of fire, one count of arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and one count of setting timber afire. He could face up to 45 years in federal prison.

How we got here

Prosecutors allege Rinderknecht set brush alight near a popular hiking trail in the Santa Monica Mountains on New Year’s Day, starting the Lachman Fire. Firefighters initially thought they put out the fire, but it remained smouldering underground for several days. High winds then brought the embers to the surface, sparking the Palisades Fire, which burned more than 23,000 acres.

What prosecutors say

In a court filing in April, prosecutors allege Rinderknecht displayed “extreme anger, indignation, and frustration” because he had to spend New Year's Eve alone. After driving around for Uber, Rinderknecht hiked up a popular trail and set chaparral alight in a clearing, according to prosecutors.

“He then started calling 911 multiple times, hiked down the hill, and fled the area in his car before firefighters arrived. Defendant returned to the area after he saw fire trucks arriving and then took videos of the firefighting efforts,” prosecutors wrote.

The filing also states that Rinderknecht threatened to burn down his sister’s home.

Prosecutors are expected to argue that Rinderknecht started the smaller blaze knowing it could turn into a bigger inferno.

U.S. District Court Judge Anne Hwang has previously expressed the government’s position could confuse jurors.

What the defense says

Defense attorney Steve Haney previously told reporters that prosecutors were trying to blame Rinderknecht for a fire that started days before the Palisades Fire.

"Well what about what happened between Jan. 1 and Jan. 7?" he asked. "Jonathan wasn't out there with a fire hose putting that fire out at the Lachman location, the Fire Department was. So why are they blaming him for whatever the Fire Department didn't do?"