Oakdale police arrest man suspected of punching Black Lives Matter protester
Oakdale police on Friday arrested a man suspected of punching a Black Lives Matter supporter during a June 3 protest downtown.
Jeremy Joseph Wilson, 33, of Oakdale, turned himself in at the Police Department and will face a felony battery charge, a news release said.
Wilson is accused of punching a protester who was in the rear seat of a convertible on F Street across from the Gene Bianchi Community Center. The victim had “significant facial injuries,” the release said.
The encounter came near the end of a mostly peaceful protest over the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody. Oakdale’s was one of many such events calling for better police treatment of Black people and reforms to stop incidents of excessive force.
Two attacks on convertible
Police said Wilson was the suspect in the second of two attacks on people in the convertible. The first resulted in three arrests, but one of those was actually a victim, who was later released.
Wilson’s arrest followed several weeks of investigation, including numerous photos and videos from people at the protest, the release said. A search warrant was served Tuesday at an undisclosed location.
Wilson was booked at the Stanislaus County Jail. Information on his bail was not available, nor was he on the online list of inmates as of 7:30 p.m. Friday.
Militia raises concern, too
The police handling of the protest drew dozens of comments at the two Oakdale City Council meetings that followed, all via Zoom.
Critics also complained about armed members of the so-called California State Militia standing guard at one business in advance of a June 6 protest that never happened.
Several speakers urged the council to establish a review board for complaints against police. Others said this oversight is already in place, including the council itself.
This story was originally published July 10, 2020 at 8:02 PM.
