An Illinois man was charged with aggravated assault after he was allegedly seen on video threatening a group of Black protesters with a baseball bat last month, local outlet The Daily Herald reported.
Thomas Ruiz, 56, was charged after he was identified by police in an Instagram video showing him wielding a bat and raising his voice at the group, Naperville Police Deputy Chief Jason Arres said Tuesday.
The alleged incident occurred after the demonstrators participated in a downtown protest June 1 and passed by Ruiz’s home in a residential neighborhood while walking back to their car.
The protest was one of several planned in the city following the death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man who died in Minneapolis police custody on Memorial Day.
The video appears to depict a man later identified as Ruiz standing on a street corner, waving a bat.
“It’s curfew right now. I don’t want my town f---ed up,” he is heard saying.
The protesters said they were trying to get to their car so they could leave.
“I love this place. I’ve lived here 20 years, I raised my kids here … I don’t want problems,” Ruiz is heard saying.
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Submitted 1366 days ago
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