Andy Ngo, a journalist based in Portland, Oregon, claims that he was assaulted at a gym on Tuesday after a man recognized him from his coverage of Antifa rallies and accused him of “lying about Antifa on Twitter.” The reporter says that the man poured a liquid over his head and then attempted to take his phone after knocking it out of Ngo’s hand.
“Was just assaulted & had my phone stolen at @24hourfitness Hollywood Portland by someone I recognize at Antifa rallies,” tweeted Ngo on Tuesday, along with a video of the incident, “He first dumped liquid on me then stole my phone. Reporting to @PortlandPolice. I don’t know his identity & gym wouldn’t tell me. They got my phone back.”
Was just assaulted & had my phone stolen at @24hourfitness Hollywood Portland by someone I recognize at Antifa rallies. He first dumped liquid on me then stole my phone. Reporting to @PortlandPolice. I don’t know his identity & gym wouldn’t tell me. They got my phone back. pic.twitter.com/51GaBS7gZW
— Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) May 7, 2019
The reporter later released a statement elaborating on the incident that had unfolded at the 24 Hour Fitness gym.
“As I was walking down the stairs to go to the locker room, liquid was dumped on my head from above,” said Ngo, “I ran up the stairs and yelled over the railing for a manager to come up. The suspect, who I recognize from the May Day Antifa events and other protests, approached me and accused me of lying about Antifa on my Twitter.”
Last week, Ngo was attacked with mace while filming an Antifa “May Day” event with his iPhone, according to a report by Fox 12 Oregon, which added that Ngo said he was also punched in the stomach at another point during the event.
“The operations manager came up and told him to stop. He yelled: ‘He’s a fascist.’ My attacker walked away,” added Ngo of Tuesday’s incident from the gym, “I exchanged information with the operations manager. Her colleague asked us what happened. The suspect returned and this is when I started to record on my phone.”
Ngo added that the suspect proceeded to knock his phone out of his hand after he began recording, and then took his phone and attempted to walk away with it.
“The suspect slapped the phone out of my hand, and it fell to the ground, damaging its case,” said Ngo, “I went to retrieve the phone from the floor. The suspect grabbed the phone from my hand and proceeded to leave, threatening to break it. The staff stopped him and retrieved my phone for me. The attacker has been identified.”
Ngo concluded his statement by thanking the staff at 24 Hour Fitness staff for their “assistance and professionalism,” adding that he will not be providing any additional details at this time, as the incident is currently under investigation.
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Twitter at @ARmastrangelo and on Instagram.
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