A Black Lives Matter leader in New Jersey has been charged with hitting a 68-year-old man who appeared to lunge at the protester while calling him a “scumbag,” he told The Post.
Jamaal Holmes — the 28-year-old leader of a march Saturday in Seaside Heights — was busted after clashing with the aged objector, who has not been identified by police.
Video shot by Holmes appears to show the angry senior yelling and moving toward him aggressively.
“Take the mask off, you scumbag!” the objector shouts.
The video suddenly goes haywire as the pair appear to clash, with Holmes marching off after allegedly pushing the elderly man — who then seemingly tripped on a bike, according to NJ.com.
“That’s what happens when you lay hands on people, buddy,” someone could be heard saying.
Holmes’ video then catches him immediately complaining to other protesters that he was “punched in the face” by the objector — with others checking up on Holmes who they said was the victim.
He was the only one arrested, filming his shocked reaction as Seaside Heights officers busted him once he got back to his car after the rally.
Holmes was charged with simple assault, accused of striking the unidentified man “in the facial area,” leaving a “small laceration to the back of the head” after he fell, Seaside Heights police spokesman Steve Korman told the Asbury Park Press.
Holmes insisted he acted in self-defense, saying the man was “wasted” drunk and had already harassed others in the rally before twice lunging at him.
Those claims are now being probed by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, which confirmed Tuesday it was “reviewing the facts and circumstances” of the case.
His attorney, Brenda Roman Maneri, told The Post that the arrest was “erroneous and uncalled for” and that it is “clear” that “Jamaal never threw a punch.”
“Simply stated, we are confident when all the evidence has been gathered, it will clearly demonstrate: Jamaal Holmes was twice accosted by a counter-demonstrator and acted in self-defense,” Maneri said.
“We are confident that after a thorough and complete investigation, Jamaal will be exonerated.”
Seaside Heights police did not immediately return requests for comment.