A rioter in California got a surprise after he allegedly vandalized the car of ex-NBA star J.R. Smith.
A video that quickly went viral shows the NBA player kicking and punching a white male protester. The protester allegedly broke the window of Smith’s car during the unrest in Los Angeles on Sunday over the death of George Floyd.
The video was first released by TMZ Sports, where the former Cleveland Cavaliers player, who is currently a free agent, is seen kicking the protester after tackling him to the ground, landing several kicks on the man’s head.
The video was also shared on Twitter Sunday by NBA Quick Report and quickly went viral—as of Monday, the clip has been watched over 1.7 million times.
JR Smith letting the rioter know after catching him breaking his window in Los Angeles ???? pic.twitter.com/h08PwHDYCR
— NBA Quick Report™???? (@NBAquickreport) May 31, 2020
“I chased him down and whupped his [explicit],” Smith said. “He didn’t know whose window he broke.”
In the end, Smith’s companions stepped in and stopped their friend from beating the vandal up too badly, the man then can be seen running off quickly.
Smith later clarified in a separate video the altercation was not racially motivated.
“This ain’t no hate crime,” he said. “I ain’t got no problem with nobody who ain’t got no problem with me.”
The NBA free agent said he parked his vehicle in a residential area, where thought it would be safe from the stores that were being looted in Los Angeles during the weekend protests over Floyd, a black man who was arrested for alleged forgery in Minneapolis and died after a police officer held his knee on the man’s neck as he repeatedly said he couldn’t breathe.
Floyd’s death on May 25 have fueled tense demonstrations over police brutality across the United States for nearly one week now.
The Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, was arrested last week. He has been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, Chauvin was held at the Ramsey County Jail before being taken to the Hennepin County Jail on Sunday.
Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.
