New Jersey Black Lives Matter leader charged with hitting elderly man, 68, who lunged at him during rally
A BLACK Lives Matter leader in New Jersey faces charges of hitting a 68-year-old man who seemed to come at him and call him a “scumbag” during a march on Saturday.
In footage shot by Jamal Holmes, 28, who was the leader of the march, a senior man appears to yell, “take the mask off, you scumbag!” while approaching him.
The two men seem to get in a physical fight as the video footage gets shaky.
Holmes allegedly shoved the older man and then continued on his way, but the senior also tripped over a bicycle, according to NJ.com.
Someone can be heard saying: “That’s what happens when you lay hands on people, buddy.”
In the video, Holmes tells fellow protesters that he was “punched in the face” by the elderly man who was against the Black Lives Matter march.
The protesters declare Holmes was the victim in the incident after looking at his injuries.
However, Holmes was the only person arrested when police officers in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, found him returning to his car after the rally wrapped up.
Holmes faces charges of simple of assault for allegedly hitting the elderly man around his face, causing him to fall and sustain a small laceration on the back of his head, Seaside Heights police spokesman Steve Korman told the Ashbury Park Press.
Holmes’s lawyer Brenda Roman Maneri said the arrest was “erroneous and uncalled for” and that it was obvious that “Jamaal never threw a punch,” according to the New York Post.
“Simply stated, we are confident when all the evidence has been gathered, it will clearly demonstrate: Jamaal Holmes was twice accosted by a counter-demonstrator and acted in self-defense,” Maneri said.
The attorney added that he and Holmes are confident that he will be exonerated at the completion of an investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.
The prosecutor’s office on Tuesday said it is indeed looking through facts and the circumstances of the incident.
Holmes justified his actions by saying he fought back in self defense.
He also accused the elderly man of being “wasted” from alcohol and that he attacked two other Black Lives Matter protesters in rallies in the past.
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