RWC Man Who Allegedly Brought Machete to Protest Charged: Report

REDWOOD CITY, CA – A man who police said brought a machete to Tuesday’s George Floyd protest in Redwood City has been charged by San Mateo County prosecutors according to a published report.

We'd like to thank the community for doing their part to ensure a peaceful demonstration continues this evening. Based on info from an alert protester, we were able to arrest an individual w/ a concealed, serrated machete, approximately 3ft long, hidden within his protest sign. pic.twitter.com/sCdy4LCcJD
— Redwood City Police (@RedwoodCityPD) June 3, 2020

Giovanni Landa, a 21-year-old Redwood City man, was arrested during the protest at around 3:15 p.m., The San Mateo Daily Journal reports.

A tip from a demonstrator who noticed the approximately 3-foot long weapon hidden in a protest sign led to the suspect’s arrest, the Redwood City Police Department announced on its Twitter page.

“We'd like to thank the community for doing their part to ensure a peaceful demonstration continues this evening. Based on info from an alert protester, we were able to arrest an individual w/ a concealed, serrated machete, approximately 3ft long, hidden within his protest sign.”

The RCPD tweeted a photo of the weapon.

Landa was charged with illegal possession of a deadly weapon, the report said.

District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe told The Daily Journal that Landa is so far the only person to be arrested at a San Mateo County George Floyd protest.

Read more in The San Mateo Daily Journal