Carson City, Nevada / USA - November 7 2020: Trump supporters gather in Nevada's state capital for the, "Stop the Steal," protests after the president's loss to Joe Biden in the 2020 election. (Photo credit: Trevor Bexon / Shutterstock)
Chaos broke out Friday in Los Angeles, where rallygoers recorded video of a man punching a woman at a new "Stop the Steal" rally.
In the video, a man identified by rallygoers as Jon Mellis, a pardoned Capitol rioter known online as @PatriotWildMan, threw the punch outside the federal courthouse at 312 N. Spring St. in downtown Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Police Department received multiple battery reports from the scene, CodeThreeNews reported, citing LAPD radio traffic.
Pardoned Jan. 6 rioter Jake Lang said he planned the rally on behalf of Spencer Pratt, the reality TV star who finished third in the Los Angeles mayoral primary in June.
"BREAKING: The CRUSADERS are RETURNING TO LA!!!!! We are holding a 'STOP THE STEAL' Rally for SPENCER PRATT outside of the US courthouse on July 10th!!!! Democrats are STEALING THE ELECTION in Los Angeles!!!" Lang announced this week on X.
Pratt has repeatedly claimed the election was stolen. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has amplified his claims, writing, "California has legalized election fraud," as reported by Forbes. Pratt also met with Trump at the White House earlier this week, according to KTLA.
D.C. activist Brianne Chapman shared videos of the chaos as it was unfolding: "As expected, things have gone completely nuts. JON MELLIS IS PUNCHING WOMEN AND THE PRESS! Some kid protecting Jake Lang has a taser. It's madness."
Chapman later posted a clearer video of the woman getting punched.
In 2023, Mellis pleaded guilty to using a wooden stick to strike and stab police officers on Jan. 6 repeatedly. According to National Public Radio, he also carried a prior felony conviction for conspiracy to manufacture or sell methamphetamine, a drug crime NPR reported resulted in a 20-year prison sentence. Trump pardoned him anyway.
CBS News reported Lang was arrested in Texas in June on a terroristic threat charge after allegedly threatening to shoot a murder defendant in the head. He also faced charges in Minnesota for destroying an anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement ice sculpture at the state Capitol.
As of publication, no arrest had been confirmed in connection with the alleged punch.