Police are looking for suspects accused of stabbing three people who say they’re affiliated with far-right group Proud Boys in the heart of Washington, D.C., early Wednesday.
Proud Boys chairman Enrique Tarrio and Bevelyn Beatty, who once painted over the Black Lives Matter mural outside Trump Tower in the area, were stabbed in the incident that took place in the 1400 block of New York Avenue NW and 14th Street, according to NBC News affiliate Washington 4.
The victims were taken to a local hospital but did not have life-threatening wounds. Police originally told the media that one was stabbed in her lower body and three men were injured, but by Thursday the victim count had changed to one woman and two men. There was not an explanation why that information changed.
The victims told police the attackers were associated with Black Lives Matter. At this time, there is no proof associated with the victims' claims. The victims were reportedly in an altercation with the suspects who stabbed them.
D.C. police are searching for three suspects. Black Lives Matter DC has disputed the police’s initial statement as “premature” and called for an independent investigation.
Police said demonstrations on the night of the election were calm. This incident, which happened a few blocks from the White House, was an anomaly, because most of the night was peaceful with only “a couple of minor incidents,” D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham told NBC News.
The men affiliated with the Proud Boys have been called “western chauvinists,” and the Anti-Defamation League has described them as a kind of far-right fight club and hate group. The group has also been accused of violence in the past.
Anyone with information about the suspects can contact D.C. police at 202-727-9099.
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