Maryland-National Capital Park Police are looking for a middle-aged white man who can be seen on a viral video attacking and threatening three people as they put up protest signs against police violence in commemoration of George Floyd’s death.
The event occurred on Capital Crescent Trail in Bethesda, Maryland and the video is difficult to watch.
In the clip, the man can be seen wearing cycling accoutrements like a helmet and bike shorts as he lunges at a person whose face was obscured by a blurring app. It’s unclear how old the victims are, but NBC News said they were two teenage boys and a teenage girl.
“Get away from me,” one screamed as the man does a quick about-face in order to focus on a minor in the background.
“Hey, leave her alone!” the teen filming the incident shouts. The suspect continued on.
“Do not touch her!” another screamed. “Do not touch her! She has nothing! Do not touch her, sir!”
“Leave her alone,” the person filming said again.
The suspect and a teen girl squared off for a few moments. The suspect ignored the others pleading with him not to touch or bother her.
Then the suspect grabbed her right hand, wrist and arm and attempted to wrest something away from her as another intervened.
“Get away from her!” a teen shouted as the man took a few steps backwards.
“Just get out of here,” a teen boy filming the incident said after the girl was forcibly touched by the cyclist.
The suspect then grabbed his bike and began to charge at the person filming the incident before apparently knocking that teen over.
“What?” he screams as the cyclist seemingly charges into him.
“Hey,” the videographer said. “What the fuck?!” It appeared he fell over.
Based on those angles of the event it appears the cyclist used his bicycle to knock the man recording to the ground.
“You want it?” a voice believed to belong to the cyclist said. “Give it to me.”
The video ended with a view of the sky through the leaves.
According to local NBC affiliate WRC-TV, one of the young people who was attacked is attempting to maintain his anonymity.
“He sees me recording him and sees the fact that I recorded him as he was doing that, and he grabs his bike and he runs it into me and pins me to the ground,” he told the outlet. He said the cyclist called him and the others deviants.
He also allegedly accused them of inciting riots.
The three individuals who were threatened and attacked by the cyclist were posting signs that read: “KILLER COPS WILL NOT GO FREE.”
“Text ‘Floyd’ to 55156,” the text continues, “Do not live in ignorance. Use your privilege for good.”
“A MAN WAS LYNCHED BY THE POLICE. WHAT ARE YOU DOING ABOUT IT?” read another sign.
As of this writing, the shocking footage had been viewed well more than 6 million times online.
“This man should be arrested,” suggested former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti.
Local authorities appear to have the same idea.
“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 [sic] trail,” the park police noted in a tweet on Monday. “Please contact Det. Lopez at 301-929-2774 with any information. Pease [sic] reference case number 20001297.”
The suspect is wanted for alleged assault.
[image via screengrab/WRC-TV