Bethel, Ohio, a small village 30 miles east of Cincinnati, was the site of recent violence aimed at a Black Lives Matter protester.
The victim, one of about 80 protesters, took a punch to the head when a small portion of the 800 counter-protesters in attendance surrounded and berated him.
Though multiple police officers witnessed the entire incident, nobody was arrested. Three full days after the incident, the Bethel Police Department issued an arrest warrant for the man who threw the punch, The Clermont Sun reported.
Besides that violent eruption, the video captured the short-fused atmosphere at the event. Hundreds of bikers, many armed with rifles, gathered to oppose and overwhelm the relatively small Black Lives Matter demonstration.
In a Facebook post following the controversial event, the numbers painted a tense picture. Bethel village officials stated that of the estimated total of 800 people at the event, only about 80 were the protesters themselves.
Six police officers had been assigned to the event.
The event alone contained nearly a third of the total population of Bethel, Ohio, which is about 2,800.
Witness the entire scene in the video below.
Bethel protest 1 youtu.be
As the video captured, a White man, later identified by WLWT as Nicholas Reardon, was completely surrounded by angry, shouting counter-protesters. After he was pushed to the ground, he rose amidst "USA!" chants and was punched in the head moments later by a man in a bandana.
Reardon then explained what had just happened to one of the officers, who had stood and watched. Following that, Reardon was surrounded by the counter-protesters and told to "go back to Cincinnati."
One of the attending cops was also in that circle. Reardon then left the area.
Viewers of the video on social media couldn't believe that the police officers did not arrest the attacker, later identified as Johnnie Devault, right there at the scene.
Police have had no problems arresting BLM protesters.
Seth Mitchell Green/Facebook
Patricia Gonzalez-Austin/Facebook
The Bethel Police Department press release attempted to address that inaction.
"The offense took place in the presence of a police officer, but was not witnessed by the officer."
"The victim stated to the officer that he had been struck. He was then removed from the area to file a report and to seek medical treatment."
Police have attempted to contact the assailant, Johnnie Devault, several times to no avail. He is currently wanted for misdemeanor assault.
The video comes on the heels of police warning White supremacists to remain out of sight during a protest and referring to White nationalists as "friendly" elements during another protest.
@jessicachastain/Instagram
