Seattle-based conservative journalist Jonathan Choe was arrested Saturday on a misdemeanor charge of pedestrian in the roadway while covering a “No Kings” protest in downtown Las Vegas. The charge carries a first-time penalty of $83+court fees.
Choe, who was filming for Frontlines TPUSA, said he was on Las Vegas Boulevard as far-left activists heckled Christians and Turning Point Action volunteers. While recording from the sidewalk, he briefly stepped into the street to avoid bumping into people in the crowd, at which point officers arrested him, according to Choe.
He identified the arresting officer as Officer Schmidt.
Choe said he spent more than 12 hours in the Clark County Detention Center, where he was strip-searched and required to change into an orange jumpsuit. He shared a holding area with a DUI suspect, an accused wife beater and a homeless drug addict before being released Sunday morning.
Two other elderly men were arrested on similar charges and released, Choe said, who described them as MAGA supporters.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department reported that about 1,400 people gathered outside the federal courthouse for the protest against immigration enforcement policies. Officers made several arrests during the demonstration on charges that included throwing rocks, battery against protesters, refusing to remove a prohibited item and four counts of pedestrian in the roadway, according to police.
Choe called the arrest “over-policing and a power trip” and plans to challenge the charge.
“I am still pro-police,” Choe wrote. “But for the first time in my life, I now know what over-policing and a power trip looks like. I look forward to my day in court with Officer Schmidt.”
Choe has requested body camera footage and the official police report from all involved officers.
Author: Mario Lotmore
