On Tuesday, 20-year-old Richard Losey of Lancaster, Ohio, was arrested (mug shot below) on suspicion of misdemeanor battery with a hate-crime enhancement for viciously attacking a black Trump supporter at a rally over the weekend.
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The victim, R.C. Maxwell, was attending an anti-illegal immigration gathering in Laguna Beach, California on Sunday, called the “America First!” rally, which was promoted to shine a light on the victims of crimes committed by immigrants in the U.S. illegally. The event drew roughly 2,500 people.
According to police, Maxwell was “peacefully” speaking with a group of leftists at Main Beach Park when the rage-filled counter-protester attacked him.
In the video below, you can see Maxwell calmly standing among the crowd just before being pummeled by Losey:
Maxwell told The LA Times that he went to talk with the counter-protesters, “trying to find commonalities,” and was attacked, choked, and pepper-sprayed while doing so.
In a longer version of the video, Maxwell is seen addressing the face-covered Antifa crowd, telling them, “There is a problem with illegal immigration; I speak out against that; that doesn’t make me a Nazi.”
“You’re a traitor!” someone shouts over him.
“People want you in chains, dude,” another voice says.
“If you want to keep the peace, you should leave,” someone says.
Maxwell is then knocked to the ground by Losey, who then jumps on him.
“In the aftermath of Charlottesville, people are emboldened to take a stand for what they deem as xenophobic or racist ideologies, but I think it’s gone too far,” Maxwell told The Times, adding, “Now it’s resulting in violence — no one on the left is condemning this.”
Authorities said Losey fled the scene before officers arrived.
Detectives arrested Losey on Tuesday as he was trying to buy a bus pass to Ohio in what they believe was an attempt to “flee the state to avoid criminal prosecution,” police said.
For local news footage including an interview with R.C. Maxwell, click below: