The Ocean County Prosecutor’s office said it was conducting a review of the “facts and circumstances” around the arrest of a Black Lives Matter protester who was charged with assaulting a 68-year-old man while he led a group of about 25 people down the boardwalk Saturday.
Jamaal Holmes, 28, the organizer of the march, was charged with simple assault and released following the altercation. Holmes has since claimed he acted in self-defense after the man tried to pull a Guy Fawkes mask off his face. The Guy Fawkes mask is often used by demonstrators connected to anti-establishment groups following its popularization in the film “V for Vendetta.” Police said the older man was pushed to the ground and suffered a laceration to the head.
Any eyewitnesses to this incident are being encouraged to contact Sgt. Thomas Tiernan of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office at 732-929-2027, extension 3149, or Detective David Margentino of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office at extension 3246.
