Weapon-wielding man left badly beaten by gang amid Dallas protests

Credit: Elijah Schaffer of Blaze TV via Storyful

DALLAS - A man who ran towards protesters brandishing a weapon was set upon and badly beaten in downtown Dallas late on May 30 as protests, sparked by the police-involved death of George Floyd, turned violent.

This video captured the assault and shows a gang of black and white people surrounding the white man as he is beaten and kicked on the ground. Additional video shows part of the confrontation that lead up to the attack and shows people throwing objects towards the man.

This video shows the man rushing towards protesters with his arm raised brandishing something. The Dallas Police Department said the man was holding a machete to “allegedly protect his neighborhood from protesters.”A second video showing the aftermath of the attack shows a passerby holding a sword.

In this video, the camera pans away as people flee the man but swings back to show him being attacked. As the crowd flees, the man can be seen crumpled and bloodied.

"The victim went to the 2200 block of N. Lamar Street (House of Blues) carrying a machete to allegedly protect his neighborhood from protesters. The victim confronted protesters while holding the machete and was subsequently assaulted by the protesters," the Dallas Police Department told FOX 4 News. He was transported to an area hospital where he remains in stable condition. This remains an ongoing investigation."

Dallas police reported at least 99 arrests or detentions by around midnight as looting continued into the night. Three guns and a taser were recovered in one incident, they said.

Protests broke out across the US after a video circulated of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pinning Floyd, a black 46-year-old, to the ground with his knee on Floyd’s neck on May 25. Floyd died soon after.

Chauvin, since fired by Minneapolis police, was arrested and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter on May 29.