Police: Victim in Viral Video in Dallas Confronted Protesters With Machete to ‘Allegedly Protect His Neighborhood’

Police: Victim in Viral Video in Dallas Confronted Protesters With Machete to ‘Allegedly Protect His Neighborhood’
A police officer stands amid smoke and debris as buildings continue to burn in the aftermath of a night of protests and violence following the death of George Floyd, in Minneapolis, Minn., on May 29, 2020. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)
Jack Phillips
5/31/2020
Updated:
5/31/2020

Authorities said a man is currently in stable condition at the hospital after he was assaulted by people in Victory Park, Dallas, on Saturday in an incident that went viral on Twitter.

The incident unfolded amid hours of destruction, looting, and arson across the Texas city.

Police told CBS Dallas that the assault took place on North Lamar Street near the House of Blues. A man went there with a machete to “allegedly protect his neighborhood from protesters.”

The man confronted protesters, who then assaulted him.

A video shot by Elijah Schaffer of Blaze TV showed a group of what appear to be protesters beating the man while he was on the ground. Witnesses then were seen attempting to tend to his injuries.

The man was taken to the hospital before police arrived on the scene, the report said.

Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson told reporters that he had seen portions of the video.

“It’s unacceptable for a beating to happen like that in my city,“ he said. ”The police are looking into that situation and that’s going to be addressed in our criminal justice system.”

Another night of outrage left stores looted and cars smoldering in many U.S. cities on Sunday as curfews failed to quell violence that replaced peaceful daytime demonstrations over the death of a black man seen on video gasping for breath as a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck.

Protests also flared in Chicago, Seattle, Salt Lake City, and Cleveland.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Jack Phillips is a breaking news reporter with 15 years experience who started as a local New York City reporter. Having joined The Epoch Times' news team in 2009, Jack was born and raised near Modesto in California's Central Valley. Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/jackphillips5
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