|
Zachary Allen Kam, 24, of Chicago, was arrested in Illinois on
assault charges and was expected to make his initial court
appearance later Thursday.
Kam is at least the third person charged with crimes related to
a July 24 demonstration at Columbus Circle, in front of
Washington's Union Station.
U.S. Park Police officers were arresting somebody who pulled
down a flagpole in Columbus Circle when Kam approached one of
the officers, pulled him down and dragged him several feet,
leaving the officer with scrapes and bruises, according to a
police affidavit.
After disappearing into the crowd, Kam returned seconds later,
grabbed another officer and pulled that officer to the ground,
the affidavit says. Police initially arrested Kam approximately
four hours later, near John Marshall Park.
“Assaulting a federal officer during the course of a protest is
not constitutionally protected speech, it is a federal crime,”
Mathew Graves, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, said
in a statement.
Protesters had a permit to demonstrate in front of Union
Station, but the U.S. Park Police said it revoked the permit
after it couldn’t reach protest organizers that afternoon. The
National Park Service estimated it cost more than $11,000 to
clean up and fix damage at the site.
Zaid Mohammed Mahdawi, 26, of Richmond, Virginia, was arrested
last Friday on a charge that he spray-painted graffiti on a
monument during the same protest near Union Station. Isabella
Giordano, 20, of Towson, Maryland, was arrested last month and
charged with spray-painting “Gaza” on a fountain in front of
Union Station.
All contents © copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights
reserved |
|
