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Police reportedly arrested a parolee in Maryland on Monday when he became agitated while pleading with a group of climate change protesters who were blocking traffic.
On July 4, climate protesters wearing yellow vests completely blocked traffic on the I-495 beltway in Montgomery County, Maryland, to demand that President Joe Biden declare a “climate emergency.” In a video that has since gone viral, a man claiming to be a parolee exited a vehicle and pleaded with the protesters to let him pass, alleging that he would be sent back to prison if he was late for his job.
“One lane, I am asking one lane,” the man desperately pleaded as the activists refused to budge.
The man then began tearing signs from the protesters’ hands as they persisted in blocking traffic. Take a look:
VIDEO THREAD: Yesterday, July 4, activists demanding Joe Biden declare a “Climate Emergency” blocked traffic on he beltway in Maryland, just outside DC.
One agitated driver got physical with them while saying that he’s on parole and could return to prison if late for his job. pic.twitter.com/iWSqTlnlSW
— Ford Fischer (@FordFischer) July 5, 2022
Another video shared by documentarian Ford Fischer later showed police arresting the man after he became “agitated at the activists blocking traffic” and “got more physical,” according to Fischer. Police arrested the parolee first and reportedly “took their time” arresting the protesters.
Police took their time preparing to arrest the activists blocking the highway, but had warned drivers not to assault the protesters.
As the shirtless parolee who claimed he could go back to jail for being late continued confronting them, police arrested and carried him away. pic.twitter.com/95u5A5zf9U
— Ford Fischer (@FordFischer) July 5, 2022
Fox 4 DC reported that 13 climate protesters were all arrested for charges related to “resisting arrest, disturbing peace/hinder passage, and failure to obey a reasonable/lawful order.” The man, presumably identified as a “counter-protester,” was also reportedly “charged with second-degree assault and resisting arrest.” One of the alleged protesters, Guido Reichstadter, came to the man’s defense on Twitter, saying he never felt threatened and that he would gladly “issue a statement or testify in his favor.”
“The shirtless man nudging me with his body was not violent with me and I did not feel threatened. I believe his arrest was unnecessary and I’ll be happy to issue a statement or testify in his favor. The lives of 1000’s of millions of people depend on emergency climate action now,” said Reichstadter in a now-deleted tweet.
The shirtless man nudging me with his body was not violent with me and I did not feel threatened. I believe his arrest was unnecessary and I’ll be happy to issue a statement or testify in his favor. The lives of 1000’s of millions of people depend on emergency climate action now.
— Guido Reichstadter (@GuidoReichstad1) July 5, 2022
The man currently remains unidentified and has issued no statement on the matter. Breitbart News reached out to the police department for comment and received no response as of this writing.
