Two women arrested for attacking senator filming Wisconsin protests
Two women have turned themselves in to police after allegedly assaulting a Wisconsin state representative at a protest on 23 June.
Samantha Hamer, 26, and Kerida O’Reilly, 33, were arrested Monday in Madison after turning themselves in to authorities.
State senator Tim Carpenter was on his way to his office at the state capitol around midnight on 23 June when he stopped to film the ongoing protest.
There were 200 to 300 protesters in the streets, and the pair of women broke off from the larger group and approached the lawmaker.
The women yelled at him to stop filming and began grabbing at his phone.
“Hey you’re not recording,” one of the women yelled as she grabbed at Mr Carpenter’s phone.
Earlier in the night, protesters demanded that the media leave the scene and told people not to record the events of the evening.
The state senator told them to leave, but the women continue to grab at his phone. As he tried to wrestle his phone free, one of the women allegedly punched him after another demanded he delete his footage.
Mr Carpenter said he fell to the ground and a group of people proceeded to beat him. His phone and glasses were taken but were later returned.
A member of the press at the scene who saw the attack corroborated Mr Carpenter’s account to the police.
Eventually, Mr Carpenter was able to explain that he was an ally, and made his way to the capitol’s lawn and laid down. Paramedics treated him at the scene and he declined at that time to go to the hospital.
Later that night, Mr Carpenter went to the hospital to be treated for pain in his head, neck, ribs and arms.
Police released photos of the women in an attempt to find them and arrest them for the assault. After the women were identified, they turned themselves in to police.
Both women were charged with substantial battery party to criminal act and robbery with use of force.
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