More Arrests After Laguna Beach Weekend Protest

LAGUNA BEACH, CA — Just who were the protesters in Laguna Beach last weekend? Residents were largely absent as people descended upon the city to use the small beach town as a battle ground for free speech.

Case in point, an Ohio man was arrested Tuesday for striking another at Sunday's America's First rally. That man is in custody, Wednesday, before he could flee the state, according to Laguna Beach Police Department Sergeant Jim Cota.

Protesters against illegal immigration rallied on Sunday along the Laguna Beach shoreline at Main Beach Park where the unprovoked attack happened.

The suspect, identified by police as 20-year-old Richard Losey of Lancaster, Ohio, sucker-punched another man who was peacefully speaking with a group of people, Cota said. Losey fled the scene before officers arrived.

The attack was caught on video and published on various media and social media sites, Cota said.
The victim contacted the Laguna Beach Police Department Monday and reported that he was physically assaulted during the rally by a counter-protester.

Detectives were able to quickly identify Losey and make an arrest on Tuesday in Laguna Beach as he was attempting to obtain a bus pass to Ohio, Cota said.

"Detectives believe Losey was trying to flee the state to avoid criminal prosecution," Cota said.

Losey was booked into Orange County Jail with a $50,000 bail for misdemeanor battery with a hate crime enhancement, according to Cota.

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Photo, Courtesy Laguna Beach Police Department