An alleged white supremacist with a swastika tattoo has been charged with fighting in public after punching an Asian man at a White Lives Matter rally in Huntington Beach, California.

What happened: The incident began on Sunday when the Asian man, identified as Santa Ana resident Triet Tran, 36, approached Andrew Nilsen, 38, a resident of Huntington Beach, according to Raw Story.

• “I want to understand why you hate me so much,” Tran told Nilsen, as shown in the video posted by producer and live streamer Andrew Kimmel on Twitter.
• “If you’re strong enough to stand for your beliefs,” Tran said, “then speak to me.”
• Nilsen refused to acknowledge Tran’s comments and questions. With his hands behind his back, Tran pressed on.
• Tran eventually stepped in front of Nilsen, and the two men collided.
• After pushing Tran away, Nilsen punched him in the face in the presence of police officers.

A neo-Nazi with a swastika tattoo assaults an Asian-American man asking “why do you hate me so much”. Police arrested him shortly after. Full video available for licensing. #HuntingtonBeach pic.twitter.com/ZgTc9mDDNl

— Andrew Kimmel (@andrewkimmel) April 11, 2021

The aftermath: In a video posted by Instagram user Vishal Pratap Singh, an Asian officer declares that he saw Tran step in front of Nilsen.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Vishal Pratap Singh (@vishal.p.singh)

• Singh calls out the officers, accusing them of defending Nilsen even though they saw him punch Tran.
• In another video posted by Singh, one of the officers escorts Nilsen to a less crowded area while patting his back.
• The officer then says, “Thank you, brother,” to Nilsen before handcuffing him.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Vishal Pratap Singh (@vishal.p.singh)

• Although Tran asked the police to charge his attacker with assault, Nilsen was only charged with fighting in public.
• Singh shared in one of his Instagram posts that Tran was also arrested.

About the rally: Around 500 people gathered at the recent White Lives Matter rally on Sunday, Los Angeles Times reported.

• What started as a peaceful gathering turned chaotic once supporters and protestors of the movement began to clash.
• The LAPD arrested 12 people at the rally.
• Two people were accused of using amplified sound, and authorities discovered a metal baton, pepper spray and a knife in one attendee’s backpack.

NextShark has reached out to the Huntington Police Department for further comment and will update this story accordingly.

Feature Image via Raw Story