UCLA Police Chief John Thomas has been "temporarily reassigned" from his post as the school investigates the handling of violence at a pro-Palestinian encampment, according to a report.
Thomas faces criticism for security failures that led to brawls between rival protest groups and a slow response to stop them after they began.
Counterprotesters carried out violent acts against a pro-Palestinian camp set up on the UCLA campus for hours before police intervened, according to a New York Times analysis of several videos of the events.
Some of the counterprotesters beat pro-Palestinian protesters with sticks and boards, deployed chemical sprays and launched fireworks at the encampment
It took up to five hours before law enforcement moved in.
UCLA's newly formed Office of Campus Safety will examine security processes at the school, said Mary Osako, vice chancellor for strategic communications,in an emailed statement to the Daily Bruin.
UCLA named Gawin Gibson as acting chief of the department on Wednesday, the paper reported.
Thomas and Michael Beck, the administrative vice chancellor who oversaw the police department at the time, have faced calls for their resignations, the Los Angeles Times reported.
UCLA chancellor Gene Block called theattack on the encampment by "instigators" unacceptable. It has "shaken our campus to its core," he said in a statement.
"I want to express my sincere sympathy to those who were injured," he wrote, "And to all those who have been harmed or have feared for their safety in recent days. No one at this university should have to encounter such violence."
