A journalist working for the Democratic media site Shareblue was roughed up by police at a rally for Republican candidate Ed Gillespie. A video surfaced on NowThis Politics an hour ago, which shows the reporter being thrown to the ground while four police officers scramble to keep him pinned down. One officer can be seen putting his knee on the journalist’s head as he screams, “I cannot give you my hand. My hand is stuck beneath me.” The video goes on to show the police telling the journalist to let go of his hand, while he responds by saying, “I can’t.” At least four officers are seen with their knees on the man.
Before the confrontations started, the journalist in the video, Mike Stark, can be seen filming a parade Gillespie was attending. At that point, a police officer tells him to “stay on the sidewalk.” Stark is then seen telling the officer that he’s just doing his job, at which point the scuffle breaks out. Stark was charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and, according to the video, was eventually freed on a $3,000 dollar bond. Gillespie’s campaign has had run-ins with Stark before, the journalist having been removed from another post-debate press scrum after pressing Gillespie on racism in his campaign messaging.
