Thirty-nine more protestors facing charges for misbehaving at a UCI campus riot

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SANTA ANA, Calif. – Thirty-nine additional protestors have been charged for failing to disperse after a University of California, Irvine police deemed a May 15, 2024, protest on the school’s campus to be an unlawful assembly and ordered the hundreds of protestors to leave. Ten protestors who were charged in September for also failing to disperse from the May 15, 2024 UCI protest are scheduled to be arraigned today. In addition, a protestor was charged with vandalism and resisting arrest in connection with the protest, according to the OCDA.

The defendants charged are:

Arraignment date of November 13, 2024

  • Manda Zhu, 20, of Irvine Charged with one misdemeanor count of PC 409 – failure to disperse at scene of riot
  • Annika Vinekar, 19, Trabuco Canyon Charged with one misdemeanor count of PC 409 – failure to disperse at scene of riot
  • Savannah Plaskon, 24, Irvine Charged with one misdemeanor count of PC 409 – failure to disperse at scene of riot
  • Salma Nasoorden, 25, Anaheim Charged with one misdemeanor count of PC 409 – failure to disperse at scene of riot
  • Alex Kim, 20, Palmdale Charged with one misdemeanor count of PC 409 – failure to disperse at scene of riot
  • Ashley Hormaza, 25, Anaheim Charged with one misdemeanor count of PC 409 – failure to disperse at scene of riot
  • Hassan Yasmeen Monther, 24, Fountain Valley Charged with one misdemeanor count of PC 409 – failure to disperse at scene of riot
  • Callista Gill, 22, Brea Charged with one misdemeanor count of PC 409 – failure to disperse at scene of riot
  • Zayd Aweinat, 20, Pomona Charged with one misdemeanor count of PC 409 – failure to disperse at scene of riot
  • Arveen Alaeddini, 19, Moreland Hills, OH Charged with one misdemeanor count of PC 409 – failure to disperse at scene of riot

Arraignment date of November 20, 2024

  • Jemin Yoo, 19, Eastvale Charged with one misdemeanor count of PC 409 – failure to disperse at scene of riot
  • Johansen Pico, 28, Irvine Charged with one misdemeanor count of PC 409 – failure to disperse at scene of riot
  • Gloryann Mendoza, 36, Downey Charged with one misdemeanor count of PC 409 – failure to disperse at scene of riot
  • Theodoros Kapogianis, 34, Irvine Charged with one misdemeanor count of PC 409 – failure to disperse at scene of riot
  • Lubna Hammad, 49, Aliso Viejo Charged with one misdemeanor count of PC 409 – failure to disperse at scene of riot
  • Andrew De La Cruz-Caccam, 20, Irvine Charged with one misdemeanor count of PC 409 – failure to disperse at scene of riot
  • Yartiza Cortez, 31, Moreno Valley Charged with one misdemeanor count of PC 409 – failure to disperse at scene of riot
  • Malik Alrefai, 24, Irvine Charged with one misdemeanor count of PC 409 – failure to disperse at scene of riot
  • Mohammad Alamour, 22, Laguna Hills Charged with one misdemeanor count of PC 409 – failure to disperse at scene of riot
  • Nikita Yu, 25, Irvine Charged with one misdemeanor count of PC 409 – failure to disperse at scene of riot

Arraignment date of December 5, 2024

  • Shanice Hyler, 26, Irvine Charged with one misdemeanor count of PC 148 – resisting arrest and one misdemeanor count of vandalism
  • Jaelynn Valez, 21, Fontana Charged with one misdemeanor count of PC 409 – failure to disperse at scene of riot
  • Julie Nguyen, 22, Irvine Charged with one misdemeanor count of PC 409 – failure to disperse at scene of riot
  • Zain Mahmood 20, Irvine Charged with one misdemeanor count of PC 409 – failure to disperse at scene of riot
  • Faran Kharal, 32, Rancho Cucamonga Charged with one misdemeanor count of PC 409 – failure to disperse at scene of riot
  • Jacob Hernandez, 32, Costa Mesa Charged with one misdemeanor count of PC 409 – failure to disperse at scene of riot
  • Omar Habbak, 28, Pomona Charged with one misdemeanor count of PC 409 – failure to disperse at scene of riot
  • Mark Gradoni, 36, Costa Mesa Charged with one misdemeanor count of PC 409 – failure to disperse at scene of riot
  • Amy Gilmore, 29, Irvine Charged with one misdemeanor count of PC 409 – failure to disperse at scene of riot
  • Clark Do, 19, Corona Charged with one misdemeanor count of PC 409 – failure to disperse at scene of riot

Arraignment date of December 11, 2024

  • Omar Zegar, 36, Irvine Charged with one misdemeanor count of PC 409 – failure to disperse at scene of riot and one misdemeanor count of PC 148 – resisting arrest
  • Hani Habbas, 37, San Juan Capistrano Charged with one misdemeanor count of PC 409 – failure to disperse at scene of riot
  • Hasna Aini, 21, Irvine Charged with one misdemeanor count of PC 409 – failure to disperse at scene of riot
  • Camryn Robinson, 20, Irvine Charged with one misdemeanor count of PC 409 – failure to disperse at scene of riot
  • Caroline Mooney, 27, Long Beach Charged with one misdemeanor count of PC 409 – failure to disperse at scene of riot
  • Donavion Huskey, 37, Irvine Charged with one misdemeanor count of PC 409 – failure to disperse at scene of riot
  • Kayla Grassbaugh Charged with one misdemeanor count of PC 409 – failure to disperse at scene of riot
  • Daniela Fernandez 21, Perris Charged with one misdemeanor count of PC 409 – failure to disperse at scene of riot
  • Tariq Assfour, 26, Orange Charged with one misdemeanor count of PC 409 – failure to disperse at scene of riot
  • Ahmad Alamour, 19, Laguna Hills Charged with one misdemeanor count of PC 409 – failure to disperse at scene of riot

The defendants scheduled to be arraigned today are:

  • Michael Chang, 29, of Irvine Charged with one misdemeanor count of PC 409 – failure to disperse at scene of riot
  • Jonathan Brook Haley, 51, of Oceanside Charged with one misdemeanor count of PC 409 – failure to disperse at scene of riot
  • Tiffany Willoughby Herard, 50 of Irvine Charged with one misdemeanor count of PC 409 – failure to disperse at scene of riot, one misdemeanor count of PC 69 – resisting a peace officer with the threat of violence, and one misdemeanor count of PC 148 – resisting arrest
  • Fantana Zadran, 39, of Irvine Charged with one misdemeanor count of PC 409 – failure to disperse at scene of riot
  • Rami Anabtawi, 40, of Silverado Charged with one misdemeanor count of PC 409 – failure to disperse at scene of riot
  • Miriam Castro, 27, of Irvine Charged with one misdemeanor count of PC 409 – failure to disperse at scene of riot
  • Kevyn Garcia, 24, of Upland Charged with one misdemeanor count of PC 409 – failure to disperse at scene of riot
  • Adel Shaker Hijazi, 40, of Irvine Charged with one misdemeanor count of PC 409 – failure to disperse at scene of riot
  • Angie Belen Monreal, 27, of Garden Grove Charged with one misdemeanor count of PC 409 – failure to disperse at scene of riot and one misdemeanor count of PC 148 – resisting arrest
  • Marah Quran, 20, of Irvine Charged with one misdemeanor count of PC 409 – failure to disperse at scene of riot

All 50 charged defendants were sent an arraignment letter with orders to appear at the Central Justice Center on to be arraigned on their respective charges. The charged defendants include two UCI professors, a UCI teaching assistant and 26 UCI students.

“The right to peaceful assembly is a constitutional right and we encourage protestors to exercise their right to peaceful assembly on any issue,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “However, criminal activity which transcends peaceful assembly will not be tolerated. As such, the Orange County District Attorney’s Special Prosecutions Unit has spent months reviewing evidence to determine what, if any, crimes were committed by protestors at UCI following the lawful dispersal order issued by UCI police. Accordingly, we have filed criminal charges against 49 individuals who failed to disperse from the May 15, 2024, protest and another individual who committed vandalism and resisted arrest in a related incident on the UCI campus.”

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Our Editor, Art Pedroza, worked at the O.C. Register and the OC Weekly and studied journalism at CSUF and UCI. He has lived in Santa Ana for over 30 years and has served on several city and county commissions.

When he is not writing or editing Pedroza specializes in risk control and occupational safety. He also teaches part time at Cerritos College and CSUF. Pedroza has an MBA from Keller University.