Update, March 10, 2016, 10: 47 am PT: The man who punched Rakeem Jones has been arrested
A protester at a Donald Trump rally in North Carolina was punched in the face by a Trump supporter as he was being escorted out of the building.
Multiple videos emerged early Thursday showing a man, later identified as Rakeem Jones by the Washington Post, being escorted out of the rally by men wearing Cumberland County sheriff’s deputies’ uniforms.
Jones gave the middle finger to the crowd as he was leaving, at which point a Trump supporter wearing a white cowboy hat struck him in the face. Jones was then taken to the ground by the men in uniform before being escorted out.
“It’s happening at all these rallies now and [the police are] letting it ride,” Jones told the Post. “The police jumped on me like I was the one swinging.”
“My eye still hurts,” he added. “It’s just shocking. The shock of it all is starting to set in. It’s like this dude really hit me and they let him get away with it. I was basically in police custody and got hit.”
Violence has erupted multiple times during rallies for the controversial GOP candidate. Trump has been criticized for inciting violence against protesters at his rallies and calling the media “disgusting” and “dishonest.”
Cumberland County sheriffs department stands by as man is assaulted after protesting at Trump rally in Fayetteville, NC. SHARE. Posted by Chris Doyle on Wednesday, March 9, 2016