April 26--A man stabbed by a Ku Klux Klan member at a February rally will join local residents and activists outside Anaheim City Hall on Tuesday to demand that the council investigate how police handled the situation.
Tom Bibiyan, a counter-protester, was stabbed by a Ku Klux Klan member at a rally held at Pearson Park in Anaheim on Feb. 27. Bibiyan, of Los Angeles, "contends he did nothing to provoke the assault," according to a press release issued by local activists.
"Despite being the victim of a violent felony, Anaheim police detectives made no attempt to follow up on his case until he contacted them earlier this month," the release said. "The Klansman who stabbed him was never charged and still remains free."
The press conference is planned for 4:15 p.m. Tuesday, outside the main entrance to Anaheim City Hall. After the press conference, Bibiyan and others will attend the council meeting to speak during public comment.
"The facts that are coming out show there needs to be an investigation," Donna Michelle Acevedo-Nelson, co-chair of the Anaheim Community Coalition, said in the release. "The question is, will the council commit itself to do this?"
According to the Anaheim Police Department, Bibiyan was stabbed after he attacked someone in the KKK group. Officers attempted to interview him after he was hospitalized, but he requested a lawyer and was not interviewed at that time, said Anaheim Police Sgt. Daron Wyatt.
"My understanding is that he was interviewed later by a detective and he admitted that he initiated an assault upon one of the KKK members, at which time he was stabbed," Wyatt said. "He was ultimately tackled by an officer as he was trying to get back at one of the KKK members and continue the assault."
A total of three people were stabbed and all were part of the counter-protester group, Wyatt said. They were all stabbed by the same person in the KKK group, he said.
"When you look at the video it's clear that that person was either acting in self-defense, or defense of his other friends that were being attacked," Wyatt said. "Everybody is up in arms about why didn't the KKK people go to jail ... they arrived and were immediately attacked. Anybody has the right to self defense when they're attacked."
The chaos erupted around noon on Feb. 27, hours after Klan members had said they would arrive for a demonstration at Pearson Park. Dozens of demonstrators arrived early to shout down the Klan's message and criticize other societal issues, including police brutality and income inequality. A smaller group had also milled around the park, promising to injure Klan members if they arrived.
When the Klan group got out of a van on Cypress Street, a group rushed toward them, setting off a string of brawls up and down the block. One man was stabbed near the area where the Klan members got out of their van. Another counter-protester collapsed to the ground a short time later, bleeding profusely, as police tackled a Klansman and placed him in handcuffs. The Klansmen could be heard telling a police officer that he "stabbed him in self-defense" as he was forced to the ground.
Initially, police arrested five of the KKK members and as the investigation played out and officers looked at photographs, video and conducted in-depth interviews, police were able to "ascertain that there was clear and convincing evidence that all of the KKK people were truly victims," Wyatt said.
"At that point we were legally, morally and ethically obligated to release them when we realized they had been attacked," he said.
Seven counter-protesters, including five men, one woman and a male juvenile, could face charges, along with two or three others who were not arrested because they were hospitalized and "may also potentially be looking at criminal charges," Wyatt said.
Roxi Fyad, a spokeswoman for the Orange County district attorney's office, said both her agency and the Anaheim police are actively investigating the violence at the park.
The agencies have been reviewing surveillance footage from the incident to determine charges against both those initially booked by Anaheim police and possible additional suspects, Fyad said.
As of Tuesday, no one has been formally charged.
Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait said that those hosting the press conference have a right to present their case.
"We represent the people of Anaheim and if it warrants a further investigation then we'll look into that," Tait said.
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brittny.mejia@latimes.com
