Man detained after driving truck through anti-Iran protest in Los Angeles 

A truck driver has been detained in Los Angeles, California, after speeding down a street filled with people demonstrating in support of protesters in Iran.

Marchers were forced to scramble out of the way as a U-Haul box truck drove down a crowded road during the protest on Sunday. One person was hit, but nobody was seriously hurt, local police said in a statement.

The truck was stopped several blocks away and surrounded by police cars. Footage from a local news helicopter showed officers trying to stop demonstrators from attacking the driver, after they had raced to catch up with his vehicle.

Police said the driver, who has not been identified, was detained “pending further investigation”.

The Los Angeles Fire Department said two people were evaluated by paramedics following the incident, with both declining any further treatment.

A huge crowd of demonstrators had earlier gathered along Veteran Avenue in the Westwood neighbourhood of Los Angeles, marching in support of antigovernment protesters in Iran.

The United States West Coast city is home to the largest Iranian community outside of Iran.

Police initially allowed the protest to take place before eventually issuing a dispersal order. Only about 100 protesters were still in the area by early evening, according to local media.

The protests in Iran began on December 28, when merchants at Tehran’s Grand Bazaar closed their shops over the Iranian rial’s plummeting value. They have evolved from economic grievances into broader antigovernment demonstrations and are the largest in Iran since the 2022-23 movement spurred by the custodial death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who had been arrested for allegedly violating the strict dress code for women.

Demonstrations supporting Iranian protesters have taken place in cities across the world, including London, Los Angeles, Paris, Berlin, and Istanbul.

State media reported on Sunday that 109 security personnel have been killed during the latest unrest. Authorities have not confirmed the number of demonstrators who have lost their lives, but opposition activists based outside the country say the death toll is higher and includes hundreds of protesters.