A man was charged for punching a police officer who was in close proximity to Sen. Rand Paul following President Donald Trump’s Aug. 27 Republican National Convention speech at the White House.
Brennen Sermon, 27, allegedly punched the Metropolitan Police Department officer who had been protecting Paul in the face causing significant damage, according to a District of Columbia U.S. Attorney’s Office statement Wednesday. The officer “sustained a laceration and severe swelling above his left eye,” according to the statement.
“Just got attacked by an angry mob of over 100, one block away from the White House,” Paul tweeted shortly after the incident. “Thank you to [the Metropolitan Police Department] for literally saving our lives from a crazed mob.” (RELATED: Rand Paul Harassed Outside White House By Protesters After Trump’s RNC Speech)
The U.S. senator from Kentucky and his wife had been surrounded by a group of shouting protesters on the street after they departed the White House where Trump gave his speech, video shows. The video further shows a member of the crowd forcefully kicking an officer toward Paul.
Rand Paul just got chased by a crowd back to his hotel, after leaving the White House from Trump’s Republican Party Nomination #DC #DCProtests pic.twitter.com/h1kPcZG1jh
— Brendan Gutenschwager (@BGOnTheScene) August 28, 2020
In additional footage of the incident, members of the crowd can be heard yelling “say her name” to Paul, a reference to Breonna Taylor, a black woman who was fatally shot by Louisville, Kentucky police in March. However, Paul introduced the Justice for Breonna Taylor Act in June, which proposed to ban no-knock warrants and no-knock police raids.
Rand Paul just got chased by a crowd back to his hotel, after leaving the White House from Trump’s Republican Party Nomination #DC #DCProtests pic.twitter.com/h1kPcZG1jh
— Brendan Gutenschwager (@BGOnTheScene) August 28, 2020
The original court affidavit accused Sermon of kicking the officer, fleeing, then punching the officer who pursued him, according to the U.S. attorney’s statement. However, an updated affidavit concluded that Sermon was not responsible for kicking the officer.
Sermon, who is from Orlando, Florida, is only being charged for the punching allegation and faces up to 180 days imprisonment, the statement said.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.