December 16, 2016
- John McGraw, 79, hit protester Rakeem Jones, 26, at a Trump rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina, on March 9, as Jones was being escorted out by police
- At the time McGraw accused Jones of being affiliated with ISIS and said he 'might have to kill' Jones if he were to see him again
- He was later charged with assault and battery and disorderly conduct
- On Wednesday McGraw pleaded no contest to the charges
- He received a 30-day suspended sentence, 12 months probation and fines
- McGraw apologized for his actions and embraced Jones in court
A North Carolina man charged with hitting a protester at a Donald Trump rally hugged his victim in court after receiving a suspended sentence on Wednesday.
John Franklin McGraw, 79, was caught on camera hitting Rakeem Jones, 26, as the protestor was escorted out of a Trump rally in Fayetteville on March 9.
He was later arrested and, on Wednesday, pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges of assault and battery and disorderly conduct. McGraw received a 30-day suspended sentence and 12 months of unsupervised probation, plus must pay $180 in court costs and a $250 fine.
McGraw apologized for his actions, before shaking hands and hugging Jones before the court.
'We are caught up in a political mess today,' an emotional McGraw told Jones.
'And you and me, we are going to heal our country,' McGraw added, with the two men then hugging.
An applause broke out in the courtroom as the two men embraced.
Jones did not say anything to McGraw, but afterwards he told CBS: 'It just felt good being able to shake his hand … and face him.'
It was a stark contrast to what happened in Cumberland County earlier this year.
McGraw, who was wearing a cowboy hat, attacked the Jones in plain sight of police at the Cabarrus Arena - but it was the protester who ended up being taken down by cops.
Neither were detained at the scene, but McGraw was arrested and charged the next day.
Before he was arrested, McGraw told Inside Edition that he assaulted Jones because 'we don’t know if he’s ISIS'.
'Well, number one, we don’t know if he’s ISIS. We don’t know who he is, but we know he’s not acting like an American and cussing me … and sticking his face in my head. If he wants it laid out, I laid it out,' he said.
'He deserved it,' McGraw added. 'The next time we see him, we might have to kill him. We don’t know who he is. He might be with a terrorist organization.
'You bet I liked it. Clocking the hell out of that big mouth.'
Video of the punch and the deputies escorting the black man out of the rally was widely viewed and prompted scrutiny over violence at Trump's campaign rallies.
The footage shows Jones walking up a set of steps to leave the arena and giving the crowd the finger.
At that moment, McGraw turns and hits the demonstrator in the face.
Jones is seen walking away from the protester and does not appear to retaliate, but the footage later shows a group of police officers wrestling the 26-year-old to the ground.
'Boom, he caught me,' Jones told the Washington Post at the time.
'After I get it, before I could even gain my thoughts, I'm on the ground getting escorted out. Now I'm waking up this morning looking at the news and seeing me getting hit again.'
Jones said he was with a group of anti-Trump protesters which included a Muslim and a gay man.
He said he did not shout during Trump's speech, but that a woman in his group did, drawing anger from the crowd.
'She shouted, but at the same time, they were shouting too. Everyone was shouting, too. No one in our group attempted to get physical,' Jones said.
Jones blamed the police for not stopping the assault.
'It's happening at all these rallies now and they're letting it ride. The police jumped on me like I was the one swinging,' he said.
'My eye still hurts. It's just shocking. The shock of it all is starting to set in. It's like this dude really hit me and they let him get away with it. I was basically in police custody and got hit.'
Musician Ronnie Rouse, who was with Jones at the rally, claimed the group were racially abused by Trump supporters.
Rouse said someone shouted 'go home n*****s' as they were led up the stairs by police officers.
'I wanted to take my 11-year-old child, to give him a touch of what's happening political-wise. I'm glad I didn't. I've never been more embarrassed to be from here in my life. It's just appalling,' he said.
Cumberland County Sheriff's Office and Fayetteville Police Department both said its officers were not the ones who detained the men, who were not arrested.
Trump's rally was disturbed 17 times yesterday, but The Donald refused to be stopped by the demonstrations.
'Go home to mommy and have her tuck you into bed,' Trump said to one protester as he was led out the arena.
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Wow....I commend the young man for his forgiveness for a Trumpworld Zombie. Hate, biggotry, racism, sexism....resurrected by head hate monger.
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