A man was struck with a baseball bat after yelling “All lives matter” at a protester who was chanting “Black lives matter” as demonstrators gathered at Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday night.
Supporters of both President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden waited as results from the presidential election began to trickle in. Some area businesses boarded up their windows in anticipation of possible violent protesting. A barrier was erected around the White House as an extra security measure.
Although the protests began peacefully, some clashes between individuals occurred. According to the New York Times, a man who answered a protestor’s calls of “Black lives matter” with phrases including “all lives matter” and “white lives matter” was hit with a bat. The demonstrators were wearing black clothing. Some of them had donned masks. Bystanders stepped in to break up the fight.
D.C. police also escorted a man wearing a Make America Great Again shirt from the area after he challenged another individual to a fight yelling, “I’ll give you 50 blows.”
Newsweek reached out to the Washington, D.C. Metro Police Department for comment.
This is a breaking story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
