The LA Ten Four

By Sean Beckner-Carmitchel

Man Who Attacked Journalist At 2024 UCLA Attacks Escapes Prison Time

LOS ANGELES — A Los Angeles County court has accepted a plea disposition in the case of Eyal Shalom, who deployed chemical irritants on Mirror Media Group journalist Dolores Quintana while engaging during a protesters at the University of California, Los Angeles. Shalom will avoid prison time by complying with a set of treatment, education and restorative justice requirements.

Shalom was originally indicted for felony use of tear gas during a mass attack by pro-Israel protesters on a pro-Palestine encampment at UCLA’s campus on May 1, 2024. Pro-Israel counter-protesters attempted to storm the encampment using fireworks and chemical irritant; pro-Israel demonstrators also shouted racial, misogynist and homophobic slurs as well as threats of sexual violence.

Last year, the current head of the Los Angeles District Attorney’s (LADA) office made increasing hate crime enhancements a major part of his platform to unseat former DA George Gascón. In 2024, Hochman said of Gascón and hate crime enhancements “I don’t see prosecution here,” he said. “I don’t see consequences.” At a recent town hall in East Los Angeles, he promised that he’d prosecute them whenever possible.

Though Shalom did eventually turn himself in to authorities, he had a warrant for his arrest for some time. In November of 2024, The Ten Four was told that “Shalom will surrender, but we do not yet have the surrender date.”

As part of the plea agreement, reached on Aug. 20, 2025, Shalom has agreed to enter a Reconciliation, Education and Counseling Crimes of Hate (REACCH) program. The terms call for 40 hours of both individual and group therapy and a written apology to Quintana. Shalom will also be required to participate in an anti-bias program run by the District Attorney’s office. If Shalom completes the requirements of the deal, the charges will be dropped.

The alleged victim in the case, journalist Dolores Quintana, criticized the resolution. She said she told The Ten Four that she was not properly notified about the diversion agreement, and wasn’t told that Shalom had surrendered himself to authorities.

Quintana told The Ten Four that LADA was “acting like nothing was wrong. They’re pretending it didn’t really even happen.” She said that when she gave testimony the it felt “very strange.” She said “there was this feeling of no, it doesn’t really matter.”

Hochman also made Marsy’s Law a major part of his 2024 campaign. Since, he’s been criticized by the family of the Menendez brothers during the family’s effort to get them released. Shalom initially entered a “not guilty” plea, but later accepted the diversion arrangement. Due to the terms of the agreement, Shalom will not serve prison time if he meets all program requirements.

The encampment, attacks and the university’s police response to both have been criticized in what’s become an ongoing saga. Jewish and pro-Israel groups successfully sued the school and received more than $6 million in settlements. Pro-Palestine groups and Quintana are in an ongoing litigation battle with the school. And the federal government froze grants of more than $500 million for the school; those have been mostly restored.

A public records request for communications to former UCLA Chancellor Gene Block by The Ten Four showed more than 1,000 emails to the office from groups criticizing the school’s handling of the protests. The emails came from nearly every end of the spectrum, criticizing the protest response from both sides. Several came from high-profile donors, threatening to remove millions in annual grants.

As of this writing, Shalom’s continued compliance with the REACCH program remains the key condition for avoiding dismissal. If he fails to complete the required therapy, education or apology components, prosecutors may seek to reinstate felony charges and resume criminal proceedings.

Another man accused of attacking a pro-Palestinian encampment at UCLA last year reached a plea agreement that will allow his felony hate crime and assault charges to be dismissed if he completes court-ordered counseling and anti-bias training. Malachi Marlan-Librett was charged with assault with a deadly weapon, battery, and a hate crime enhancement for allegedly using chemical spray, kicking demonstrators and shouting racial slurs during a violent confrontation on campus in May 2024. Under the deal, he must complete 90 hours of therapy and anti-bias education. Marlan-Librett was captured on video kicking encampment protesters and hitting them with a broom stick. Marlan-Librett also was accused of following an attorney that night to a parking lot and shoving him.

18-year old Edan On was arrested on suspicion of felony assault with a deadly weapon in 2024. On donned a white mask as he struck protesters with a long white pole. The LADA office under Gascón declined to prosecute. The office told the Beverly Hills Courier that “We cannot establish beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. On’s conduct directly caused the victim’s injury.”

Though asked, the office did not answer any questions about others who’d been identified by other outlets including CNN as aggressors during the encampment attacks. One, Tom Bibiyan, has not yet received charges despite being videoed from multiple angles while uttering a racial slur for Black people. Bibiyan stated he was there on social media, and was a City Council candidate in 2016.

When asked for comment, the LADA’s office emailed The Ten Four saying “This is an open felony case at this time, and we are unable to comment on the specific facts. Our office vehemently prosecutes hate incidents, and we remain steadfast in our commitment to seeking justice for victims and protecting the safety and dignity of every member of our community. Journalists must be free to do their jobs without fear, as they play a vital role in safeguarding our First Amendment rights. Attacks on journalists and on any member of our community are condemned by this office, and we are committed to ensuring that those who commit such acts are held accountable for their actions.”