UPDATE: The father is scheduled to appear on the Sean Hannity radio show this afternoon and on the Hannity TV show on the Fox News Channel tonight.



The father of the teenage supporter of presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump who was seen on national television being chased by a large mob of anti-Trump rioters outside a San Jose, California rally by Trump last Thursday has spoken exclusively to The Gateway Pundit about the attack.

TGP is keeping the father’s identity private for the time being to protect his son from further attacks.

The father says he was also attacked by the mob, being spit on repeatedly as the mob violently ripped several Trump for president signs from his hands while his son was being attacked nearby.

(Interview published below.)

Screen image shows teen Trump supporter being tackled while he was fleeing terror mob.

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As The Gateway Pundit has reported, the teen was seen on video peacefully and politely engaging an anti-Trump protester. Minutes later he was set upon and punched in the back of the head; had his Trump hat stolen; was chased and had firefighters refuse to help him; was chased again and tackled by a Black Muslim male likely from Somalia; escaped and was chased again until he ran into police officers who finally protected him.

Two suspects were arrested Wednesday with the 17-year-old male charged with felony assault with a deadly weapon; the 16-year-old male charged with misdemeanor assault.

Most of the attack and chase was captured on video and stills from several different witnesses.

Screen images show teen Trump supporter doubled over from a rabbit punch by a Black male anti-Trump rioter and the teen walking away from tha attack with a stunned look on his face.

One video shows much of the attack, including several rabbit punches thrown at the back of the teen’s head by a muscular Black male as he is trying to walk away from a mob of Black males who had stolen his Make America Great Again ball cap. The video also shows the heartbreaking moment when a San Jose fire crew in a firetruck refuses to help the pleading teen as the mob is chasing him.

https://youtu.be/OHCkGzEO5ng?t=1m27s

San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo and Police Chief Eddie Garcia were roundly criticized for statements made after the riot. Liccardo initially blamed Trump for the violence, telling the AP hours after the riot:

“Our police officers have done an extremely courageous and professional job so far,” San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo told The Associated Press by phone. “We’re all still holding our breath to see the outcome of this dangerous and explosive situation.” The mayor, a Democrat and Hillary Clinton supporter, criticized Trump for coming to cities and igniting problems that local police departments had to deal with. “At some point Donald Trump needs to take responsibility for the irresponsible behavior of his campaign,” Liccardo said.”

Chief Garcia and the SJPD issued statements that said officers did not intervene to stop the violence because he did not want the police to be seen as an ‘occupying force’ and that he feared arrests would incite more violence.

“We are not an “occupying force” and cannot reflect the chaotic tactics of the protestors.”

And:

“While several physical assaults did occur, the police personnel on scene had the difficult task of weighing the need to immediately apprehend the suspect(s) against the possibility that police action involving the use of physical force under the circumstances would further insight (sic) the crowd and produce more violent behavior.”

Video by KBCW-KPIX-TV shows the teen Trump supporter finally finding San Diego police who would help protect him from the terror mob. The video at 2:16 puts the lie to the claim posted to Facebook by Chief Garcia that one of his officers broke through the lines to rescue the teen.

The father of the boy spoke exclusively with The Gateway Pundit about the attack. The interview was conducted by phone and email. The father’s comments have been edited to correct cellphone typos and to protect the family’s privacy.

TGP: Are you involved with the Trump campaign or the election?

Father: No, I’m just a supporter.

TGP: How old is your son?

Father: 14 almost 15.

TGP: How is your son doing?

Father: He is doing ok. He had 2 bumps and bleeding on his head. He also was hit in the leg with a traffic cone.

TGP: Do you live in the San Jose area?

Father: Yes.

TGP: Why did you and your son decide to attend the rally?

Father: We wanted to see Mr Trump for ourselves. We wanted to be able to judge him and the rally attendees on our own–not just what the media puts out.

TGP: How were things going into the rally?

Father: Going into rally was calm. We were there 1.5 hours early. There was a group of about 20 protesters across the street chanting but they seemed peaceful at the time.

TGP: How did your son enjoy the rally itself?

Father: He really enjoyed the rally and seeing all the different people who attended. We also noticed quite a few other children of his age and younger there. He was excitedly going around grabbing all the different Trump signs he could find.

TGP: Where did your son get the Trump t-shirt and Make America Great Again hat?

Father: We bought 2 T shirts and a hat at the rally. The first thing my son asked me for when we got in the car to go was if he could get a Make America Great again hat.

TGP: In a video before the attack your son is seen having a civil conversation with an anti-Trump protester. Can you speak about that?

Father: We were definitely interested in what the protesters had to say. The gentleman in the video was asked what part of illegal he didn’t like or something to that effect. He didn’t answer but just asked who was going to work the fields. Another Latino gentleman tried to explain that none of us were against people coming in legally to work.

TGP: After that conversation, what happened that brought on the attack against you and your son and what transpired before your son fled for his life?

Father: We were heading to the car when we started crossing the last street before the parking lot. My son’s hat was ripped off his head and taken by someone. I walked over to the thief and asked him for the hat back he told me to “F*** off,” then he threw the hat in the air. While this was happening my son was hit multiple times in the back of the head so he started to run away since he didn’t want to get pummeled.

TGP: Did you see your son being punched? Were you punched or spit on?

Father: I did not see him being punched. I was spit on multiple times as others were trying to take our Trump signs out of my hands. They got all but one which was ripped up.

TGP: Did either your or your son throw any punches, etc. in offense or defense?

Father: No.

TGP: Please speak about trying to catch up with your son as he fled for his life and what you were able to see?

Father: I was able to see him fleeing across the street being chased by many people. I was relieved for a moment when he was flagging down a fire truck. But to my horror they just drove on by.

TGP: What did your son tell you about his seeking help from firefighters in a firetruck? Your thoughts on their refusal to help your son?

Father: He said they just rolled the window up and did nothing. I think they could have easily pulled him to safety.

TGP: Police Chief Eddie Garcia posted at Facebook a vow to seek justice for the victims of the riot using a photo of your son with a caption that claims the SJPD rescued your son. What is your comment on that?

Father: SJPD did not help my son until after he crossed the skirmish line. No one went to help him at all.

(In the phone interview, the father said that he caught up to his son after police had finally acted to protect the boy. But the officers would not let him cross their line to be with his son. It was nearly ten minutes before he was allowed by police to reunite with his son.)

TGP: The reporter who took the photo of your son used by the chief, any comments on him?

Father: I sent him a tweet that his information was false and that the boy had to save himself The reporter promptly blocked my Twitter account.

TGP: Has your family been contacted by the mayor or anyone with the San Jose government besides police investigators? Has anyone offered an apology for how your son was allowed to be chased and tackled by a terror mob?

Father: No contact from Mayor or police chief no apology

TGP: The SJPD released statements that said they held off intervening in the riot to avoid inciting the crowd and coming off as an “occupying force”. Your thoughts?

Father: I think the police could have done a much better job without inciting anything. They could have made a safe passage corridor to the parking lot instead of making rally attendees cross through the mob of protesters. Also it seems to me men wearing riot gear with batons helmets and padding could help a defenseless kid being chased by a horde of people.

TGP: Any other comments or information you’d like to share?

Father: We did not go to the rally looking for trouble. We wanted to be able to see and judge Mr. Trump, his fans and the protesters himself. I wanted to show my son how democracy works and maybe even try and understand where the Trump haters were coming from. What we got was a great speech by Mr. Trump followed by being assaulted, battered, spit on, and having our property stolen by anti Trump or anti American protesters.

TGP: Do you a comment on the arrests of the tow suspects for attacking your son?

Father: Our family is very thankful for the police investigators, especially Detective Riles who communicated personally with us, and the work they have done to bring these criminals to justice on behalf of our son and others attacked.

However this will never excuse the mayor and the police chief for not protecting the citizens of San Jose from people who were in no way exercising their right to free speech and only wanted to have a fight.

While it’s unfortunate that these individuals will forever be linked to this incident and they do need to face the consequences of their actions, I can only hope and pray that they can learn from this and use their experience to teach others that violence is not the answer. Especially against people (Trump supporters) in my opinion who mean no ill will to anyone and who in fact want all races and nationalities to thrive in the United States as long as it is done in a safe and legal manner.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YWMxmgySng

Video taken before the attack shows the calm, peaceful demeanor of the teen Trump supporter as he engages an anti-Trump protester.

https://twitter.com/TomLlamasABC/status/738603331258454016

Video by ABC News reporter Tom Llamas shows teen Trump supporter being chased by terror mob and tackled.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PI-1xXoC2Wk

Video shows moment teen Trump supporter took off running from the terror mob.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SU8zYHWbnY

Video captures most continuous footage of terror mob chasing teen trump supporter.