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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[–] ToadOfHypnosis@lemm.ee 337 points 1 week 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 1 week 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 1 week ago (1 children)

Louder. For the people in the back.

[–] aramova@infosec.pub 51 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Fat fuck wants to be another Rittenhouse

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

Tell that to the police...

[–] curbstickle@lemmy.dbzer0.com 37 points 1 week ago

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

[–] MBech 67 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week 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 1 week ago

Only if you're white and conservative.

[–] crusa187@lemmy.ml 19 points 1 week 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.

[–] barneypiccolo@lemm.ee 64 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week 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.

[–] JAPJER@mtgzone.com 38 points 1 week ago

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

[–] AnUnusualRelic@lemmy.world 21 points 1 week ago (2 children)

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

[–] Snowclone@lemmy.world 31 points 1 week 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.

[–] A_Union_of_Kobolds@lemmy.world 12 points 1 week ago

It'll get you on a talk show circuit

[–] NocturnalMorning@lemmy.world 120 points 1 week 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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[–] Baphomet_The_Blasphemer@lemmy.world 107 points 1 week ago (6 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.

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[–] Rhoeri@lemmy.world 100 points 1 week 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 47 points 1 week 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 42 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week 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 1 week 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 1 week ago (1 children)

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

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[–] PixelatedCleric@lemmy.dbzer0.com 82 points 1 week 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 1 week 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 1 week ago

Looks like he slipped

[–] thedruid@lemmy.world 15 points 1 week ago

Well I mean it was a reasonable breakage of said face, since y'know... Nazi.. but your point is valid

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[–] noxypaws@pawb.social 69 points 1 week 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 65 points 1 week ago (4 children)

Mr. Mangione was defending himself. Case Dismissed.

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

He was defending the entire country

[–] qarbone@lemmy.world 39 points 1 week 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 1 week ago (3 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.

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[–] sndmn@lemmy.ca 64 points 1 week ago (2 children)
[–] inclementimmigrant@lemmy.world 54 points 1 week ago
[–] meco03211@lemmy.world 43 points 1 week 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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[–] the_q@lemm.ee 42 points 1 week ago (1 children)

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

[–] sunshine@lemmy.ml 40 points 1 week 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 1 week ago (2 children)
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[–] rockettaco37@lemmy.world 35 points 1 week ago

This is what we're up against.

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

[–] PlaneMaker@feddit.org 28 points 1 week ago (5 children)

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

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[–] SabinStargem@lemmy.today 21 points 1 week 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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[–] derry@midwest.social 18 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Wonder if the boots taste different in Indiana...

[–] PointyReality@lemmy.world 14 points 1 week ago

What an actual POS, but do we really expect anything else from a Trump supporter. Clear as day he should not have been released citing any self-defence. Anyone who argues against this fact shows they should not even own a gun. US is going US though, not even dead kids can separate them from their guns.

[–] cronenthal@discuss.tchncs.de 13 points 1 week ago

The shape of things to come.

[–] MehBlah@lemmy.world 12 points 1 week ago

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

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