Police are investigating two unrelated incidents that were captured on video and occurred amid peaceful protests honoring George Floyd in Newport Beach Wednesday.
One incident occurred just before 3:30 p.m. near the intersection of 30th Street and Newport Boulevard.
Video recorded by Josh Hart and obtained by KTLA shows a group of people running toward a man, and then quickly turning and running away as he pulls out a gun.
The shirtless man could be seen holding the gun over his head as he walked backward down the sidewalk.
“He’s got a gun. He’s got a gun,” a person in the video is heard saying.
The man had apparently gotten into a verbal altercation with someone before pulling the gun out of his backpack, the Newport Beach Police Department stated in a news release.
A witness told KTLA the man had yelled “black lives don’t matter” and “get out of this city,” prior to pulling out the gun.
The man seen in the video, identified as Travis White, turned himself in to police on Thursday and was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, officials said. He posted bond later in the day but could not be reached for comment.
The real estate company where White worked terminated him, company representatives said.
The police department asked that anyone witnessing the incident contact them at 949-644-3797.
In a separate incident, a white car was recorded driving through a crowd of people demonstrating in honor of George Floyd Wednesday.
The vehicle appeared to graze someone on a bike and some bystanders.
No one was seriously injured in the incident, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The driver of the vehicle has been arrested, Newport Beach Mayor Will O’Neill tweeted.
“There is no justification for driving through a crowd and potentially injuring or killing people,” O.C. Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Michelle Steel said during a news conference. “While I’m relieved no one was hurt, we cannot have this happen again.”
The incidents come amid nationwide protests against police brutality, stemming from Floyd’s death while in custody of the Minneapolis Police Department.
All four of the officers involved have been fired and charged in Floyd’s death.
