Video: Turkish President Erdogan's Bodyguards Rough Up DC Protesters In Front Of Cops

UPDATE 12:45 PM: The Metropolitan Police Department said in a Wednesday statement they may pursue more charges stemming from the brawl.

"The actions seen outside the Turkish Embassy yesterday in Washington, D.C. stand in contract to the First Amendment rights and principles we work tirelessly to protect each and every day," the statement reads. "The Metropolitan Police Department made two arrests following yesterday's incidents and we have every intention to pursue charges against the other individuals involved. We will continue to work with our partners at the United States State Department and United States Secret Service to identify and hold all subjects accountable for their involvement in the altercation."

Original story:

WASHINGTON, DC — Shocking video has emerged of a violent brawl on Embassy Row in Northwest on Tuesday, as D.C. police broke up a fight between the bodyguards of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and protesters but appeared to be unwilling or unable to do much about the attackers.

The video shows Erdogan's bodyguards, who are mostly dressed in suits, punching and kicking protesters right in front of D.C. police officers. The officers stepped in to separate the two sides but in many cases made no apparent attempt to make an arrest, even when the assaults happened directly in front of them. Whether that was because of concerns about diplomatic immunity or because they were focused more on controlling the fight is unclear.

The assault is shocking in its brazenness, with Erdogan's bodyguards almost daring D.C. police officers to arrest them as they beat protesters, one of whom was curled up in the fetal position as bodyguards rained down blows upon him.

#Erdoğan'ın korumaları kavgaya karıştı https://t.co/gsi1iQ68Ye #amerikaninsesi pic.twitter.com/Jv3g5E7AVA
— Amerika'nın Sesi (@VOATurkish) May 17, 2017

The attacks happened outside the Turkish ambassador's residence at 2500 Massachusetts Ave. NW as Erdogan met with President Donald Trump at the White House Tuesday. A total of nine people were hurt in the scuffle, and two were arrested, although it's not clear from which side, according to reports.

Trump called Erdogan a strong ally and vital partner in the war on terrorism. However, Erdogan is critical of the U.S.'s support for the Kurds in Syria, as well as the fact that a cleric he blames for last year's failed coup resides in the United States.

Patch has reached out to the D.C. police department via email for comment. We will update this story when we receive it.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) expressed shock at the video, saying on Twitter that "This is the United States of America. We do not do this here. There is no excuse for this kind of thuggish behavior."

The condemnation of the attack was swift and fierce on Twitter.

Erdogan's bodyguards beat up Kurdish protesters in D.C. Just imagine what we are going through back in Turkey. https://t.co/4UhOfS27WJ
— Mahir Zeynalov (@MahirZeynalov) May 17, 2017

@VOATurkish Where is our mainstream media on this?!?! These are Americans being beaten by Erdogan's bodyguards in OUR Washington DC!
— Marcia C Young (@faeywrld13) May 17, 2017

Protocol 4handling foreign leader bodyguards is delicate, but Erdogan's thugs need 2b held accountable. This is USA. We're free to protest.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) May 17, 2017

A real President would put Erdogan on a plane for what his bodyguards did on US soil today. Send that fascism home.
— Oliver Griswold (@originalgriz) May 17, 2017

Some additional video from the Associated Press is below:

Image: Screenshot of video posted by Voice of America