Detectives with the Bexar County Sheriff's Office have asked the public for assistance in identifying individuals seen taking part in physical altercations at a Donald Trump campaign event held at Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio. Investigators released photographs of individuals they are seeking to question.
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said the images show both victims and those who carried out the attacks, adding that while no one required medical attention from any of the incidents, physical confrontations of that nature remain unacceptable regardless of their scale.
A number of attendees were escorted out of the event space as the rally unfolded. Those removed from the venue told a television outlet they were struck, shoved, and punched during the process, with Dominic Garza stating that he and others had been physically attacked.
Dominic Garza, Guliana Garza, and Matthew Tabares told reporters they had attended the event to demonstrate against Trump, and all three described being physically confronted during the gathering. Dominic Garza recounted that he was pushed, while Guliana Garza stated that someone came up from behind and drove a knee and both hands into her back with force. Tabares said he had been chanting "Free Palestine" when attendees in the crowd began striking him, including a woman who shoved him twice before throwing a punch with a phone in her hand and a man in a red hat who also threw a punch at him.
Both Dominic Garza and Tabares said they were dissatisfied with the response from officers on the scene. Dominic Garza said he felt no action had been taken against those who had physically confronted them.
Salazar indicated that a Class C misdemeanor assault charge had been filed against one individual. Further arrests, he said, are anticipated over the next several days and into the weeks ahead.
A crowd numbering in the thousands gathered at the rally, with a portion of those present capturing footage of physical confrontations on their devices. Bystander Cynthia Garcia told authorities she believed a woman positioned near the upper-level railing was at risk of falling, adding that a harder shove directed at the person in the blue sweater could have sent her over the edge. Garcia also expressed hope that future rallies would pass without anyone being physically harmed.
Fellow onlooker Jonathan Cox said that no one attending a public event should face physical confrontation, and that political tensions present in the community should not translate into violence between residents. The sheriff's office called on anyone who was assaulted or holds relevant information to come forward, with Salazar indicating that additional charges are anticipated over the coming days and weeks.
