Violence erupts at pro-Trump rally in California

[muriel_volestrangler]

30. Video and description here:

In case it gets taken down, here's the synopsis: While protestors are chanting "USA! USA!" a Trump supporter points to a man in a Desert Storm cap and tells his friend (let's call him Trump Friend) that the cap-wearing fellow (let's call him Cap Guy) pushed a woman down. Trump Friend then shoves Cap Guy, at which point a young man wearing a black beanie tries to intervene. Trump Friend then starts punching the young man, with other Trump supporters jumping in.

The young man? Weekly intern Tristan. Cap Guy? Weekly photographer Brian Feinzimer. His alleged push of a woman? He took away a flag from a lady who had swatted Weekly photographer Julie Leopo with it, then was waving it wildly in front of Feinzimer's camera. He threw it on the ground; she grabbed onto him. he raised his arm to get her away; she fell to the ground. There, she found her flag, tried to whack it at Feinzimer, and walked away to wave the flag elsewhere.

This is when Trump Friend Jumps in. Sterling pushed Trump Friend away from Tristan. Then, a man in a gray shirt grabbed Tristan by the jacket and began punching him in the head and face. Sterling then tried to push away Gray Shirt Guy, at which point an anarchist used pepper spray to get Gray Shirt Guy but also got Sterling and others on the scene. (see the entire chain of events, starting with the flag-waving lady, at 7:00 of this KTTV-TV Channel 11 chopper video).

http://www.ocweekly.com/news/huntington-beach-pro-trump-march-turns-into-attack-on-anti-trump-protesters-press-7991623

I doubt that's staged in any way - too chaotic. Sterling was doing the right thing, trying to stop people from her side punching counter protestors. The guy with the pepper spray didn't have justification for using it - "Gray Shirt Guy", while he had thrown punches before, wasn't within reach of anyone apart from Sterling when the spray was used - the sides had parted.