Police are searching for a man who was caught assaulting young adults when they were posting flyers to support Black Lives Matter on the Capital Crescent Trail in Bethesda, Maryland on Monday. The suspect, described as a white male, argued with one of the victims and grabbed the flyer from her hands, Maryland-National Capital Park Police said. The video was filmed a week after the death of George Floyd, who was killed on May 25 in Minneapolis police custody.
The incident happened at about 12:45 p.m. when the group of young adults was walking along the trail, posting flyers on a fence near the Dalecarlia Tunnel, reports WUSA9. The suspect pushed off his bicycle and rushed towards one of the teens, forcing her to fall to the ground. Video of the scene first surfaced on Reddit, and began with the cyclist rushing right up to one of the women while the man behind the camera told the cyclist to “leave her alone.” The man then rushed over to a young girl and pulled the Black Lives Matter flyer right out of her hand. The suspect then turned back towards the man filming, knocking him to the ground.
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They were putting up signs to commemorate the death of George Floyd. He wasn’t having it. pic.twitter.com/eukrXrxoLN
— Victor Stoddard (@VicStoddard) June 4, 2020
The suspect is seen wearing a red helmet and aviator-style sunglasses. Park Police described him as a white male, 50 to 60 years old, six feet tall, medium build and with short brown hair. The public was asked to call Detective Lopez at 301-929-2774 with information and to reference case number 20001297. The flyer the young adults tried to post reads, “Killer cops will not go free” and “Do not live in ignorance. Use your privilege for good,” reports WJLA.
We are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying the below individual in reference to an assault that took place this morning on the Capital Creacent trail. Please contact Det. Lopez at 301-929-2774 with any information. Pease reference case number 20001297. pic.twitter.com/EtC9Q0xBOp
— Park Police MC (@ParkPolice) June 2, 2020
The video of the incident quickly went viral on Twitter, where it has more than 9.3 million views. “T-1000” also began trending, since many Twitter users noticed how the suspect looked like Robert Patrick’s liquid robot villain in Terminator 2: Judgement Day.
Floyd died on May 25 in Minneapolis after police arrested him for allegedly using a counterfeit $20 bill. Officer Derek Chauvin kept his knee on Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes, even after Floyd lost consciousness. Chauvin was fired and has been charged with second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Officers Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane were also fired and have been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder.
