Democratic Wisconsin State Senator Tim Carpenter, 60, collapses after being 'punched and kicked in the head by ten protesters' after he stopped to take a video of them amid a night of unrest over activist's arrest
A night of unrest in Madison, Wisconsin, left two statues destroyed, windows smashed and a Democratic state senator hospitalized after he was attacked by a group of protesters near the state Capitol.
State Sen. Tim Carpenter said he had been heading into work late Tuesday when he stopped to take a video of protesters gathered outside the Capitol.
‘I don’t know what happened … all I did was stop and take a picture … and the next thing I’m getting five-six punches, getting kicked in the head,’ Carpenter, 60, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Video footage captured by the senator shows hundreds of protesters chanting in the street, before two white female activists break from the pack and charge towards Carpenter’s direction.
‘Hey, you’re not recording,’ one of the women shouts, thrusting her hand towards the senator’s cell phone, eclipsing the camera lens.
As Carpenter pleads with the woman to ‘leave’ his phone, she is heard ordering him to delete the video, with the two seemingly ensnared in a struggle over control of the device.
State Sen. Tim Carpenter said he had been heading into work late Tuesday when he stopped to take a video of protesters gathered outside the Capitol.
Video footage captured by the senator shows hundreds of protesters chanting in the street, before two white female activists break from the pack and charge towards Carpenter’s direction
‘Hey you’re not recording,’ one of the women shouts, thrusting her hand towards the senator’s cell phone and eclipsing the camera lens
In a photo of the melee taken by a bystander, Carpenter, dressed in a blue t-shirt and shorts, is seen standing in the street engaged in an animated conversation with at least two people. It’s unclear what was said before the situation turned violent, but violent it did turn.
Carpenter said a group of at least eight to 10 people descended upon him, ‘punching and kicking’ him in the head.
The assault has allegedly left him with a suspected concussion and a fractured nose, in addition to a bruised eye, sore ribs and back.
‘This has got to stop before someone gets killed,’ he told the Washington Post. ‘Sad thing I’m on their side for peaceful demonstrations — am a gay progressive Dem senator served 36 years in the legislature.’
Protesters, however, said the state senator had provoked them, the Journal Sentinel’s Lawrence Andrew reported in a tweet.
Following the assault, Carpenter was seen kneeling down on the ground by his car. An ambulance was called after the 60-year-old ‘collapsed walking towards the Capitol’.
‘We called paramedics. An ambulance is here now,’ WKOW reported Lance Veeser tweeted, sharing an image of Carpenter lying on his back in shrubbery with his eyes closed.
The unrest comes on the heels of the Memorial Day death of George Floyd, the 46-year-old black man who died unarmed and handcuffed under the knee of Officer Derek Chauvin of the Minneapolis Police Department.
Following the assault, Carpenter was seen kneeling down on the ground by his car. An ambulance was called after the 60-year-old ‘collapsed walking towards the Capitol’ (pictured: A fainted Carpenter lays on his back in shrubbery)
On Tuesday, the protesters took to the streets of Madison with a renewed sense of outrage following the dramatic arrest of black activist Devonere Johnson, earlier in the day.
The 28-year-old was taken into custody after entering a restaurant in Madison’s Capitol Square area with a megaphone and baseball bat.
Videos of Johnson’s arrest have been shared widely on social media. In the footage, the activist appears initially to resist arrest, prompting a struggle with a group of officers.
He ended up on his stomach on the ground with at least three officers holding him down, as he called out ‘they’re trying to kill me’, in addition to repeatedly asking what he was under arrest for.
Johnson’s questions went unanswered by police. But hundreds took to the street in the hours afterward in a collective voice of outrage over the incident, smashing windows of public buildings near the Capitol.
The demonstrators also pulled down two statues, including one of Col. Hans Christian Heg, a Norwegian immigrant and abolitionist who died fighting for the Union during the Civil War in 1863. His shrine was beheaded and thrown into a nearby river, local media reported.
A second monument, known as the ‘Forward’ statue, was torn down and dragged away from its base at the steps of the Capitol building. The bronze allegorical statue, which is more than 100 years old, depicts a female figure standing on the prow of a boat, with her right hand stretched out while her left clasps the American flag.
The Wisconsin Historical Society said the statue symbolizes devotion and progress, according to its website.
Videos of Johnson’s arrest have been shared widely on social media. In the footage, the activist appears initially to resist arrest, prompting a struggle with a group of officers.
The demonstrators also pulled down two statues, including one of Col. Hans Christian Heg, a Norwegian immigrant and abolitionist who died fighting for the Union during the Civil War in 1863. His shrine was beheaded and thrown into a nearby river, local media reported
A second monument, known as the ‘Forward’ statue, was torn down and dragged away from its base at the steps of the Capitol building. The bronze allegorical statue, which is more than 100 years old, depicts a female figure standing on the prow of a boat, with her right hand stretched out while her left clasps the American flag
Windows at Madison Museum of Contemporary Art are seen damaged amid the unrest Tuesday
Wisconsin State Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, a Republican, criticized the demonstration and labelled the hundreds protesting in the streets as ‘thugs’.
'This is absolutely despicable. I am saddened at the cowardice of Madison officials to deal with these thugs,’ Vos tweeted.
Early Wednesday, police in riot gear worked to clear the crowd amid reports they were trying to break the doors and windows of the Capitol building.
The group ignored police instructions to disperse. In response, the police repeatedly played a recorded message stating, ‘This is an unlawful gathering. Please leave the area immediately.’
Democratic Wisconsin State Senator Tim Carpenter, 60, collapses after being 'punched and kicked in the head by ten protesters' after he stopped to take a video of them amid a night of unrest over activist's arrest
![Democratic Wisconsin State Senator Tim Carpenter, 60, collapses after being 'punched and kicked in the head by ten protesters' after he stopped to take a video of them amid a night of unrest over activist's arrest]()
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June 24, 2020
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