A cyclist who was recorded assaulting a group of young people has spoken out about his remorse over the incident.

On Friday, 60-year-old Anthony Brennan III was arrested by police after he was caught on camera assaulting a group of young people who had reportedly been putting up posters of protest against the murder of George Floyd.

Per the Huffington Post, Brennan has since been charged with three counts of second-degree assault after a video of the incident went viral, sparking outrage online and prompting a community effort to identify the perpetrator. 

You can see the upsetting incident below:

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Now, Brennan's lawyers have released a statement from their client.

In the statement shared with TIME, Brennan states: "I am sick with remorse for the pain and fear I caused the victims on the trail, and online."

Brennan adds that he is "cooperating fully with authorities" and is "committed to making amends by addressing, through counseling, the underlying issues that led to my abhorrent behavior".

He added: "I am dedicated to working with the Montgomery County State Attorney's Office to provide peace to our community and justice to the victims in the video, as well as to all victims of racism and police brutality."

In an extensive statement, Marland National Capital Park Police provided further information around the background of the incident. As they explained:

"On Monday, June 1, 2020 at approximately 12:45 p.m., three young adults were walking the Capital Crescent Trail near the Dalecarlia Tunnel. The young adults, one male and two females, were posting flyers reference a call for community action.

"The suspect described as a white male began to argue about the flyers and forcibly grabbed the flyers from one of the victims. Before leaving the scene, the suspect pushed his bicycle towards the male victim and caused him to fall to the ground."

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The original video, which has been widely circulated across social media, shocked viewers due to the apparent unprovoked nature of the attack.

In the clip, Brennan can be seen repeatedly trying to grab something from a young woman while another she yells at him to stop, before charging at her male companion and knocking him to the ground. In a week largely defined by violence against peaceful protestors, the clip struck a chord.

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In addition to providing extra details on the case itself, Marland National Capital Park Police praised community members for the "abundance of tips and information shared" to help identify the man responsible.

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It is unknown what the possible sentence would be, were Anthony Brennan III to be found guilty.

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Unrest continues to unfold across the US, as protests - some peaceful, some violent - are calling out the systemic injustices carried out against black people, not least seen by the recent deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor.

As well as a call for justice, these ongoing protests are also demanding an end to police brutality and the racism that is so deeply entrenched in America and the western world.

The message is simple: Black lives matter.

VT proudly supports Black Lives Matter, and for ways to contribute to the cause, please click HERE.

Police in Maryland are searching for a cyclist who was caught on video assaulting three people posting flyers in support of Black Lives Matter, per CNN.

Maryland-National Capital Park Police are seeking the public's help in identifying a suspect in connection with an assault that took place on Monday afternoon on the Capital Crescent Trail in Montgomery County, per a release from Park Police.

Footage shows that a man and two women were walking the trail, and posting flyers in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, following the death of George Floyd,  when the suspect started to argue with them, and grabbed the flyers from one of the individuals.

Police then say that the suspect pushed his bicycle away, and started to charge at one of the victims, which caused them to fall to the ground.

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Park police have released images of the man, who remains unidentified. He is described as a 50 to 60-year-old white male, of medium build, six feet in height, and with short brown hair.

Park Police officers are reportedly patrolling the trail by foot, bicycle and police car, according to the release.

The man who shot the video of the cyclist told CNN that they were trying to influence change. "At first he seemed intrigued at our message, but he quickly got aggressive and tore the sheets from my hands," he detailed, saying it was then that he started recording the exchange.

He has requested to remain anonymous.

Watch the video below: 

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The clip shows the cyclist approach a member of the group, who tells him to stay away. He then goes towards the third person in the group and tears a roll of tape she had around her wrist.

The individual behind the camera says that's when the cyclist noticed he was filming and charged at him. The recording ends as the cyclist rode away down the path, before turning around and shouting obscenities at the group.

"I spent my high school years in DC and I’m fortunate enough to live in an affluent neighborhood now where I feel I have a lot of privilege," the individual who has requested to remain anonymous continued to the publication.

"There’s tons of people watching TV and saying ‘wow that’s horrible’ and shake their head, but don’t actually work to change it. That’s what I want to try and inspire is for people to actually go change things instead of just being an observer."

Protestors have picketed the house of a US Army soldier charged with assaulting a Black man he said was "in the wrong neighborhood".

Jonathan Pentland, a 42-year-old Army sergeant and drill instructor at Fort Jackson in South Carolina, was been charged with third-degree assault and battery earlier this week.

This comes after a video emerged on social media on Monday of Pentland threatening the young Black man at the Lakes at Barony Place; a gated community in Richland County located in the Summit neighborhood of South Carolina.

Take a look at the footage of the incident below:

A large number of people have since begun protesting outside Pentland's property, with some participants taking pictures and live streaming the event.

The protest began peacefully, with those involved directing traffic and ordering pizzas, while others made speeches to show solidarity with the local black community.

However, a later thread from a Twitter user going by the handle @SSaJC shows that one protestor later smashed outdoor lights on the Pentland property and broke a window before other participants calmed him down.

The police arrived shortly thereafter and broke up the crowds.

Check out these images from the protest:

Pentland has been issued a personal recognizance bond, and if found guilty of the above charges, he faces 30 days in jail and a $500 fine.

The three-minute-long video, which was posted on social media by a woman named Shadae McCallum, shows an irate Pentland angrily asking his victim (identified only as Deandre) what he was doing near his property.

When Deandre responded that he was only out for a walk, Pentland became more incensed; slapping Deandre's phone out of his hand and violently shoving him.

Pentland can be heard stating:

"You're in the wrong neighborhood motherf*****. Get out. I ain't playing with you.

"I'm about to show you what I can do. You either walk away or I'm going to carry your a** out of here."

As of the time of writing, the original tweet has since accrued over 1.3 million views on Twitter alone.

Featured Image Credit: Pexels

A single teenager Black Lives Matter protester was harassed and allegedly assaulted by a group of men after she decided to walk through an "All Lives Matter redneck biker protest" holding a BLM sign.

Video footage taken last Sunday (June 14) in a town called Bethel in Ohio shows 19-year-old Riley attempting to walk around while carrying a sign that says Black Lives Matter.

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Taking to Twitter on June 14, she wrote:

"'All lives matter' redneck biker protest is going on in bethel and I'm about to take my little ass up there by myself with my black lives matter sign. Let's see how this goes."

However, less than three hours later, Riley revealed in an update to her 29,000 followers that she was allegedly assaulted while carrying her sign. She wrote:

"Update: I got my sign ripped out of my hand, thrown against a wall and punched in the head for walking across a cross walk while a bethel police officer watched and tried to act like he gave a f**k when I was screaming at him."

Footage of Riley walking on the sidewalk carrying her sign later surfaced on social media - the first showing people shouting at the teenager and aggressively getting in her face and blocking her path.

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In another video, a man rips Riley's sign from her hands, as she claims a group of men "beat her up". Video footage of any attack cannot be seen, but Riley does appear from around the corner holding the side of her face and one man can be seen shoving her with one hand.

The footage can be seen below:

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The woman behind the camera can also be heard saying: "He hit her."

In both videos, police officers can be seen not intervening, apart from directing Riley away from the group.

Footage from another demonstration in Bethal also appears to show the same man that ripped the sign from Riley sucker-punch a male BLM protester from behind.

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Twitter users were quick to identify the individual as Johnnie B. Devault - and a Facebook post later revealed that police had issued a press released asking the public to help locate the man.

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After sharing the videos, Riley was flooded with support:

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According to The Sun, there were around 10 incidents in total amid demonstrations on June 14, the Village of Bethel said in a statement.

Bethel – a town with a population of around 2,700 – saw around 800 demonstrators on Sunday.

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This comes as unrest continues to unfold across the US, as protests - some peaceful, some violent - are calling out the systemic injustices carried out against people of color, not least seen by the recent deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor.

As well as a call for justice, these ongoing protests are also demanding an end to police brutality and the racism that is so deeply entrenched in America and the western world.

The message is simple: Black lives matter.

VT proudly supports Black Lives Matter, and for ways to contribute to the cause, please click HERE.

Two police officers have been suspended after a video showed them pushing a 75-year-old man to the ground, and walking away as blood poured out of his ears.

Footage taken by a local reporter shows the man, who remains identified, walking towards a line of officers in riot gear in Buffalo City, in New York, during the 10th day of protests, following the killing of George Floyd.

George Floyd, a black man, was arrested by Minneapolis police on Monday, May 25, for reportedly using a counterfeit $20 note in a store. While being detained, ex-cop Derek Chauvin - a 19-year veteran of the force - knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.

Protests, both peaceful and violent, have since erupted across the US and in major cities across the world.

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As the man can be seen trying to speak to law enforcement, one police official pushes him with a baton, and a second with his hand. The man then staggers back before falling and hitting his head on the pavement.

The sound of a large crack is heard and he can be seen bleeding as he lies without movement on the ground.
Per WKBW, police initially said that "one person tripped" during the incident in Niagara Square, however, the footage makes it clear that law enforcement pushed the individual. Buffalo Police Commissioner, Byron Lockwood, has since ordered the suspension of the two officers involved.

According to some bystanders at the scene, the 75-year-old man was reportedly attempting to return a helmet to the officers.

He has allegedly been taken to the Erie County Medical Center, and is in a stable but serious condition.

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Mayor Byron Brown has condemned the incident, stating that he was "deeply disturbed" by the clip.

He also confirmed that Lockwood has ordered an immediate investigation into the incident, and that the two officials have been suspended without pay.

"After days of peaceful protests and several meetings between myself, Police leadership and members of the community, tonight’s event is disheartening. I hope to continue to build on the progress we have achieved as we work together to address racial injustice and inequity in the City of Buffalo. My thoughts are with the victim tonight," Mayor Brown said.

New York state governor, Andrew Cuomo, also denounced the scene as "utterly disgraceful."

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Buffalo has been ordering a curfew from 8 pm to 5 am every night. It is expected to last until at least Sunday, the 7th of June.

VT proudly supports Black Lives Matter, and for ways to contribute to the cause, please click HERE.