Prosecutors Charge 40 More in UC Irvine Protest in May

Another 40 people have been charged in connection with unrest on the UC Irvine campus in May, prosecutors said Wednesday.

Among those charged were two UCI professors, a teaching assistant and 26 students, prosecutors said.

A pro-Palestinian encampment had been largely peaceful for a few weeks, but when protesters surrounded the Physical Sciences Lecture Hall on May 15, campus police sought help from the Orange County Sheriff's Department and Irvine police as well as other neighboring law enforcement agencies.

Hundreds of law enforcement personnel descended on the Irvine campus to break up the encampment.

The additional defendants charged with misdemeanor failure to disperse at a riot are:

— Manda Zhu, 20, of Irvine;

— Annika Vinekar, 19, of Trabuco Canyon;

— Savannah Plaskon, 24, of Irvine;

— Salma Nasoorden, 25, of Anaheim;

— Alex Kim, 20, of Palmdale;

— Ashley Hormaza, 25, of Anaheim;

— Hassan Yasmeen Monther, 24, of Fountain Valley;

— Callista Gill, 22, of Brea;

— Zayd Aweinat, 20, of Pomona;

— Arveen Alaeddini, 19, of Moreland Hills, Ohio;

— Jemin Yoo, 19, of Eastvale;

— Johansen Pico, 28, of Irvine;

— Gloryann Mendoza, 36, of Downey;

— Theodoros Kapogianis, 34, of Irvine;

— Lubna Hammad, 49, of Aliso Viejo;

— Andrew De La Cruz-Caccam, 20, of Irvine;

— Yartiza Cortez, 31, of Moreno Valley;

— Malik Alrefai, 24, of Irvine;

— Mohammad Alamour, 22, of Laguna Hills;

— Nikita Yu, 25, of Irvine;

— Jaelynn Valez, 21, of Fontana;

— Julie Nguyen, 22, of Irvine;

— Zain Mahmood, 20, of Irvine;

— Faran Kharal, 32, of Rancho Cucamonga;

— Jacob Hernandez, 32, of Costa Mesa;

— Omar Habbak, 28, of Pomona;

— Mark Gradoni, 36, of Costa Mesa;

— Amy Gilmore, 29, of Irvine;

— Clark Do, 19, of Corona;

— Hani Habbas, 37, of San Juan Capistrano;

— Hasna Aini, 21, of Irvine;

— Camryn Robinson, 20, of Irvine;

— Caroline Mooney, 27, of Long Beach;

— Donavion Huskey, 37, of Irvine;

— Kayla Grassbauh, age and residence unknown;

— Daniela Fernanez, 21, of Perris;

— Tariq Assfour, 26, of Orange, and

— Ahmad Alamour, 19, of Laguna Hills.

The defendants with multiple charges are:

— Shanice Hyler, 26, of Irvine, charged with misdemeanor counts of resisting arrest and vandalism, and

— Omar Zegar, 36, of Irvine, charged with misdemeanor counts of failure to disperse from a riot and resisting arrest.

Ten other defendants were charged in September, including Tiffany Willoughby-Herard, 50, of Irvine, an associate professor of global and international studies, and Jonathan Brook Haley, 51, of Oceanside, who is a humanities lecturer.

Willoughby-Herard is charged with failing to disperse at a riot, resisting arrest with the threat of violence and resisting arrest, all misdemeanors. Haley is charged with a misdemeanor count of failing to disperse from a riot.

UCI spokesman Tom Vasich issued the following statement:

"UC Irvine has a longstanding commitment to upholding free speech and peaceful protest. While we encourage all members of the campus community to exercise their right to express their views, they are also expected to comply with all applicable laws, university policies, and codes of conduct while doing so. It is important to clarify that the university is not involved in the decision by the Orange County District Attorney's office to file criminal charges against individuals arrested on campus during the May 15 incident.

"As part of ongoing efforts across the University of California system, UC Irvine is clearly communicating with all members of the university community regarding campus policies, their enforcement, and the balance between free expression and campus safety."