Maryland Man Charged In Assault On Activists For Racial Justice Along D.C. Area Trail

A 60-year-old man has been arrested in Maryland following allegations that he assaulted a group of three young adults who were hanging fliers in support of George Floyd and an end to racial injustice. The confrontation drew widespread outrage when video of the encounter was posted online.

Authorities with the Maryland-National Capital Park Police said Friday that Anthony Brennan III of Kensingston, Md. has been charged with second-degree assault for the Monday incident.

In a 34-second video of the incident which quickly went viral, an older white male cyclist is seen physically walking-down two young women and attempting to wrestle fliers from one of them, gripping her arm in the process.

The cyclist is told "leave her alone," "walk away" and "do not touch her" as he approaches the woman he is seen grabbing. The man then picks up his bike and begins to run toward the person holding the camera. The camera drops after that.

In an interview with a local NBC-affiliate, one of the victims, who asked to remain anonymous for the interview, said that the cyclist rushed at him while he was filming the incident the and then pinned him to the ground.

"You guys [are] inciting riots,'" he said the cyclist yelled at him. "He kept saying we're 'deviants.' I'm not sure exactly what he meant by that."

WJLA, a local ABC-affiliate, reports that the fliers read "Killer cops will not go free" and instructed individuals to text "Floyd" to a number listed on the flier.

Police say the incident occurred along the Capital Crescent Trail which runs from the Georgetown neighborhood in Washington, D.C. through Bethesda, Md., a nearby affluent suburb.

Authorities in Maryland began asking for help in identifying the cyclist on Tuesday, leading to hundreds of tips.

Brennan has since expressed remorse for the attack through his attorneys, according to media reports. The website DCist reports that Brennan says he is "sick with remorse for the pain and fear I caused the victims."

"I am committed to making amends by addressing, through counseling, the underlying issues that led to my abhorrent behavior," Brennan said.

Before Brennan was announced as a suspect, however, internet sleuths wrongly-identified at least two other men as the cyclist — including a former employee of the Montgomery County Department of Police and a marketing director. In response, authorities cautioned the public against circulating the names of individuals believed to be the cyclist.

Maryland's Attorney General, Brian Frosh, said the public response had lead authorities to a "strong suspect." But he urged against publicly naming individuals, saying it could "risk harm to innocent people."

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