LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating an altercation Wednesday in Venice involving a group of homeless people and supporters of Larry Elder, Republican candidate for governor.
No charges have yet been filed, but the department’s Robbery-Homicide Division is looking into the incident, according to LAPD Officer Lizeth Lomeli. Lomeli said the case had been assigned to that unit “because it’s high profile.”
Elder’s visit to Venice began with a handful of Gold’s Gym patrons gathering outside his black-and-red campaign bus to cheer the candidate as he stepped off.
The heckling began a few minutes later, as members of the Venice Neighborhood Council Public Health & Safety Committee walked Elder down Sunset Avenue.
The confrontation with Elder heated up as the group turned onto encampment-lined Third Avenue, with a handful of people circling the group, screaming profanities at Elder and shouting at him to “get the hell out of here.”
After the group rounded the corner back onto Hampton Drive, what appeared to be an egg was thrown at Elder.
“It kind of glanced his head,” an Elder campaign staffer said of the object.
A woman in a gorilla mask riding a bicycle threw the small white object past Elder’s head, as seen in a video posted on Twitter by Spectrum News reporter Kate Cagle.
The woman appeared to be white, Elder is Black. Ape characterizations have been used as a racist trope for centuries.
Moments later, the woman took a swing at a man who appeared to be part of Elder’s team. The man was hit by at least one other heckler just before Elder was escorted into a white SUV.
“Today I kicked off the Recall Express bus tour,” Elder tweeted Wednesday evening. “Before we even left Los Angeles, my security detail was physically assaulted, shot with a pellet gun, and hit with projectiles. The intolerant left will not stop us. We will recall Gavin Newsom. We will save California.”
Elder continued to campaign Wednesday and had multiple appearances scheduled for Thursday.
