The pro-Israel solidarity rally in West Los Angeles on Sunday. Photo: StandWithUs.

JNS.org – Pro-Palestinian activists wielding wooden sticks attacked participants at a pro-Israel solidarity rally in Los Angeles on Sunday.

The rally, which was attended by more than 3,000 people, took place in front of the Federal Building in the neighborhood of Westwood. A pro-Palestinian protest draw roughly 200 people across the street.

A federal officer attempting to stop the altercation fired a single shot. He has since been placed on administrative leave while the incident is being investigated.

Four men—identified as Mostadafa Gamaleldin Hafez, Hassan Mustapha Kreidieh, Mohammed Said Elkhatib, and Fadi Ali Obeidallah—were reportedly arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. One protester called out “Free, Free Palestine” as he was placed in the police car, according to the Los Angeles-based Israel education organization StandWithUs.

The original altercation may have started after a pro-Israel rally participant grabbed a Palestinian flag from a truck in which the protesters were sitting and stepped on it, the Los Angeles Times reported. The eventually arrested men then got out of the vehicle and began hitting pro-Israel protesters with wooden sticks. One person was hit in the arm.