Hours after drawing protesters’ ire together with his first in-person look in two months at a Los Angeles City Council assembly, Kevin de León was concerned in a battle with an activist Friday night time, in an altercation a minimum of partially caught on video.
The council member mentioned in a press release that he was assaulted. Activists mentioned De León was the aggressor.
De León was at Lincoln Park for a toy giveaway and vacation tree lighting when the incident occurred, his workplace instructed The Times.
A video posted to Twitter by two native activist organizations — RootsAction and J-TOWN Action and Solidarity — exhibits a quick portion of an altercation between De León and a person recognized within the description as Jason Reedy, an organizer with the People’s City Council.
The video, which is in gradual movement, exhibits the council member with different individuals behind him in a hallway. De León pushes Reedy onto a desk earlier than grabbing Reedy once more and forcing him down what gave the impression to be a hallway or doorway.
The 10-second video clip doesn’t depict every other portion of Friday night time’s incident.
In a press release, De León mentioned that he, a employees member and a volunteer have been “violently and physically assaulted by self-proclaimed activists at a community holiday event to the dismay of a multitude of families and children who were there to celebrate a Christmas tree lighting and to receive toys and food.”
“The escalating rhetoric is hitting a fever pitch, transcending from verbal threats into actual acts of violence and must end before more serious harm or loss of life occurs,” the assertion mentioned. “Violence is not free speech and has no place in politics or democracy.”
Jason Reedy speaks throughout Friday’s City Council assembly.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
In a press release to The Times on Friday night time, Shakeer Rahman, an legal professional representing Reedy, referred to as De León “a disgrace.”
“Video footage clearly shows him and his supporters initiating this assault while Mr. Reedy stands prone,” Rahman mentioned. “Not only has Kevin de León lost all political legitimacy, his claims that he was the one attacked here simply underscores how he’s lost touch with reality.”
De León’s workplace mentioned Reedy and different activists current have been at fault.
Pete Brown, a spokesperson for De León, mentioned the council member was head-butted, a member of his employees was elbowed within the face and a volunteer was punched within the arm.
No head-butts have been captured on the video, which Brown mentioned begins after it occurred.
Prior to the beginning of the video, De León was on a stage on the venue when protesters got here in, the spokesperson mentioned. He tried to maneuver away however was pursued by the activists, who blocked off exits, in response to Brown.
Authorities have confirmed little concerning the incident and didn’t determine anybody concerned.
Officers have been referred to as at 6:30 p.m. to the 3500 block of Valley Boulevard for a report of a giant battle involving eight potential suspects, mentioned Officer Drake Madison, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson.
The suspects had fled by the point officers arrived, Madison mentioned. Officers took the report of 1 sufferer.
Firefighters have been referred to as to the placement to evaluate an grownup male, however the man was not taken to a hospital, mentioned Nicholas Prange, a Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson.
Times employees author David Zahniser contributed to this report.
