A man from Maine is facing legal issues after footage of him reportedly attacking a local journalist at a protest—thought to be Democratic—spread widely online.
The undated video shared on Tuesday features Joe Sokol from Mainwire interacting with protestors in Bangor who were voicing opposition to President Donald Trump and other political matters.
In the clip, a woman holding a sign depicting an upside-down American flag is heard saying to Sokol, “If we know someone is not a good person, we don’t vote for them.”
As Sokol wrapped up a brief interview with her, a man in a white shirt and wielding a placard that read “Healthcare 4 All” suddenly shoved both Sokol and his cameraman. “Hey, that’s assault,” Sokol exclaimed as the man moved away.
Shortly after, a woman carrying an American flag pursued the man, apologizing to him. Sokol then confronted the man, asking, “Why would you do that?”
The man replied, “I didn’t see him,” as he passed through a small group of protestors holding anti-Trump messages.
Sokol pressed the man further, asking, “Excuse me, can you tell me why you attacked me? Can you tell me why you assaulted me?”
The unidentified woman kept apologizing to the journalists, though the man did not respond to Sokol. “I’m sorry, but we won’t do that,” one woman told Sokol in the midst of the commotion.
Another video clip shows Sokol attempting to interview a different protestor, who seemingly returned and elbowed him.
Details about the incident remain vague, but it was later reported to the Bangor Police who confirmed to authorities that the individual involved was Ronald Staples, 78, from nearby Holden.
Staples has been charged with one count of assault. So far, there’s no clarity on what led to the altercation or what transpired immediately after.
