this post was submitted on 06 Apr 2025
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Summary

At a Lafayette, Indiana anti-Trump rally Saturday, a man pulled an assault-style rifle after clashing with protesters who blocked his truck at a Third Street intersection.

Video shows the man in a MAGA hat yelling at protesters, prompting another man—angered by the confrontation with women—to intervene.

The two exchanged shouts before the protester headbutted the man. He returned to his truck, retrieved a rifle, and reentered the crowd.

Police detained but released him, citing self-defense. The “Hands Off!” rally drew nearly 1,000 people and ended early amid safety concerns.

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[–] Baphomet_The_Blasphemer@lemmy.world 107 points 5 days ago (5 children)

Self-defense requires there to be an ongoing threat to your or someone else's immediate safety. If he was able to leave the altercation, head to his truck to retrieve his rifle, and then return to the situation that's not self-defense, its premeditation.

[–] ubergeek@lemmy.today 11 points 4 days ago (1 children)

It's self defense, because the cops are on the same side as the guy...

Same reason you never see Miley Cyrus and Hanna Montana in the same room at the same time.

[–] Melvin_Ferd@lemmy.world 3 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

I fucking love you guys. Like your head in a book being like awksuelly...

Reality is that guy could have killed that protestor and charges would be dropped. If not, trump would pardon him. There are no consequences

Stop trying to be correct. Just fucking win for a change. Being correct is not a win in today's world. Way too many people that are wrong who keep winning.

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[–] ToadOfHypnosis@lemm.ee 336 points 5 days ago (5 children)

If you can leave the situation safely - like being able to go back to your truck - it’s not self defense.

[–] adarza@lemmy.ca 225 points 5 days ago (2 children)

yup. as soon as he grabbed the gun and went back to threaten people with it.. he committed the felony.

[–] thedruid@lemmy.world 58 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Louder. For the people in the back.

[–] aramova@infosec.pub 51 points 5 days ago (2 children)

Fat fuck wants to be another Rittenhouse

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[–] breezeblock@lemm.ee 44 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Tell that to the police...

[–] curbstickle@lemmy.dbzer0.com 37 points 5 days ago

They are too busy ~~fabricating~~... ~~planting~~... finding the evidence they need to arrest some protestors.

[–] barneypiccolo@lemm.ee 64 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

Self-defense isn't going back to your vehicle to get a weapon to come back and terrorize people. That's assault.

If he had returned with his weapon, and someone killed him, THAT would be self-defense.

[–] MBech@feddit.dk 67 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (2 children)

Doesn't matter. They even determined that planning to get yourself in an unsafe situation with the purpose of shooting protesters, travelling across states with a gun to again very intentionally get yourself in a situation where you'd need to use it, is still self defense. Even when you shoot someone without actually being in danger, it becomes self defense when other people are trying to stop you. All of this, as long as your victims are protesting against right-wing policies, has been determined in court to be self defense.

[–] CosmicTurtle0@lemmy.dbzer0.com 36 points 5 days ago

Only if you're white and conservative.

[–] crusa187@lemmy.ml 19 points 5 days ago

I wonder if I could legally defend myself in this manner at one of the neo nazi rallies in Springfield or Charlottesville? Somehow I doubt the police would characterize it the same way.

[–] JAPJER@mtgzone.com 38 points 5 days ago

Exactly. It's obvious who the cops were siding with here.

[–] AnUnusualRelic@lemmy.world 21 points 5 days ago (2 children)

But what about pre-emptive self defense? That's a thing, right?

[–] Snowclone@lemmy.world 31 points 5 days ago

You don't understand, your honor, I know I was gonna say something that would make them threaten my life! I had to start shooting.

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[–] noxypaws@pawb.social 69 points 5 days ago

I bet if someone drew a concealed pistol on him after he pulled out his rifle the cops would NOT consider it self defense.

ACAB.

[–] IDKWhatUsernametoPutHereLolol@lemmy.dbzer0.com 64 points 5 days ago (3 children)

Mr. Mangione was defending himself. Case Dismissed.

[–] jaschen@lemm.ee 36 points 5 days ago (1 children)

He was defending the entire country

[–] qarbone@lemmy.world 39 points 5 days ago (1 children)

He wasn't. Because he didn't kill that CEO. My man's innocent.

Whoever did happen to off that CEO certainly did everyone a favor tho

[–] daepicgamerbro69@lemmy.world 14 points 5 days ago (2 children)

as far as i am concerned Thompson's body just did that weird bullet thing 3 times in a row. Seems to be a latent condition in most billionaires.

[–] ubergeek@lemmy.today 8 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Pre-existing condition, I'm thinking.

The body has a way of shutting down illegitimate bullets.

[–] Phoenicianpirate@lemm.ee 3 points 3 days ago

He died of acute lead poisoning. He was born in a leaded house with leaded gasoline on the farm. The bullets didn't do anything.

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[–] ubergeek@lemmy.today 9 points 4 days ago (1 children)

No, he didn't. We were having breakfast that morning, when it's alleged he killed a mass murderer.

[–] Phoenicianpirate@lemm.ee 3 points 3 days ago

And right after that, he was with me playing video games and chilling. We played some classic games that he was too young to enjoy first game. He enjoyed it. I then made him a nice spaghetti lunch.

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[–] Rhoeri@lemmy.world 99 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Inserts himself into a situation he wasn’t invited to, or welcome at, instigates people for the purpose of “justified” retaliation- whips out his loaded lib-killer , and is summarily released by law enforcement.

I’d say those folks dun’ got Rittenhoused!

[–] painfulasterisk1@lemmy.ml 46 points 5 days ago (1 children)

I agree with you. That's not how "self-defense works". If the snowflake geot hit, walks away from the situation, gets armed, and returns to attack the person that attacked such a fragile sheep, this is not self-defense, it's retaliation.

The sheep crybaby and whoever proclaimed this as self-defense are just a bunch of puppets.

[–] MrBananaGrabber@lemmy.today 41 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (2 children)

That’s most likely why the police changed the order of events around:

"During the event, an adult male driver attempted to make a lawful turn at the intersection of Third Street andColumbia Street when his path was obstructed by protesters standing in the roadway. A verbal altercationensued between the driver and protesters," the release said. "The situation escalated when the driver exited his vehicle and was subsequently pushed and battered by individuals in the crowd. The driver then retrieved a firearm from his vehicle in what he described as an act of self-defense.

"He did not discharge the weapon and promptly returned it to his truck. Shortly after, a male protester approachedthe driver and head-butted him, causing injury," police said.

Even though multiple protesters described it otherwise. ACAB.

Edit: punctuationification

[–] Bytemeister@lemmy.world 14 points 5 days ago

It's not a lawful turn if there is a pedestrian in the path of the vehicle.

There was an altercation and then he retreated and came back with a firearm. That's not self defense, that's brandishing.

I can understand the police not making that determination at the time, their goal should be to de-escalate and separate the conflicting parties, but they should send someone round to pick this guy up and book him for the felony he committed afterwards.

[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 11 points 5 days ago (1 children)

There's also video of the events that clearly shows the police statement is fucked.

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[–] NocturnalMorning@lemmy.world 120 points 5 days ago (8 children)

How does going back to your vehicle and retrieving a n assault rifle count as self defense? That's premeditated at that point if he were to use it.

The difference between this, and any other mass shooting is just whether this guy decided to pull the trigger, which he obviously wanted too.

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[–] mhague@lemmy.world 10 points 4 days ago (1 children)

If the game is about driving around with a gun, provoking people into hitting you, and then going back and getting your gun to kill them, it would be very easy to go around deleting Trump supporters. You know, if not for the police / government being on their side.

That dude could've stayed in his truck and waited for people to walk by. Instead he ended up bloody and teary-eyed. And he's the one with the fucking assault rifle.

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[–] PixelatedCleric@lemmy.dbzer0.com 82 points 5 days ago (3 children)

Why does it feel like he was a failed attempt at inciting violence in protests to make them look unreasonable?

[–] jared@mander.xyz 39 points 5 days ago (2 children)

He fucked around and found out most of them were exceedingly reasonable, except the one that busted his face 😊

[–] shittydwarf@lemmy.dbzer0.com 24 points 5 days ago

Looks like he slipped

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[–] inclementimmigrant@lemmy.world 54 points 5 days ago
[–] sndmn@lemmy.ca 63 points 5 days ago (4 children)
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[–] the_q@lemm.ee 42 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Self defense would be a headbutt back or fists, not the AmRepublican-14.

[–] sunshine@lemmy.ml 40 points 5 days ago (6 children)

there's video, no one was doing anything to him. he got out of his SUV, started yelling at people, returned to the vehicle, got back out with the weapon at his side. self defense would have been (a) for literally anyone to have threatened him and (b) for him to simply leave the scene.

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[–] Ezsnake324@lemm.ee 38 points 5 days ago (2 children)
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[–] SabinStargem@lemmy.today 21 points 5 days ago (3 children)

Protestors should bear arms. Soon enough, the Rittenhouses of the right will need to be put down when they behave like rabid DOGEs.

Conservatives escalate, and must be met in kind when they do so.

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[–] rockettaco37@lemmy.world 35 points 5 days ago

This is what we're up against.

I'll be damned if I let these people continue to run our country

[–] meco03211@lemmy.world 44 points 5 days ago (2 children)

So Indiana is a "stand your ground" state. That generally removes any duty to retreat. I'd be curious how they rule when he clearly retreated to his vehicle already, and only then retrieved a weapon, brandished it, and reentered a crowd. If they allow self defense, how far is someone allowed to retreat in order to retrieve a weapon and re-engage? Can I go all the way back to my house and get a gun to defend myself?

Of course this will only be litigated if the public can pressure the prosecutor to press charges. If not it'll be easy for the cops to disproportionately apply that defense to like minded miscreants.

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[–] MehBlah@lemmy.world 12 points 4 days ago

He will shoot next time. Like a not so smart missile they just aimed him at decent human beings.

[–] PlaneMaker@feddit.org 28 points 5 days ago (5 children)

It shocks me every time again, seeing how casually people carry guns in the US

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[–] Ileftreddit@lemmy.world 10 points 5 days ago

I mean lots of people open carry. Hopefully we don’t get to this point, but if someone threatens someone else with firearm, lots of localities justify lethal force at that point (one must always assume a firearm is loaded)

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