Merrick Deneen
Staff Reporter
During a black lives matter march outside of NAU on July 25, 2020 an intoxicated 51-year-old man named James Kleinhenz was shown with a gun during a heated debate with protestors.
The majority if this confrontation was caught on camera by one of the protestors at the rally. It first shows James approaching the march in his SUV earlier that day and threatening a member, saying,” You got your gun on you? You need it brother”.
The video then cuts to later in the march at an intersection on Main Street where Kleinhenz can be seen putting up the middle finger until he exited his vehicle and begun yelling. The group quickly surrounded the vehicle as well as Kleinhenz and begun shouting chants. Police aides that were escorting the protest put themselves between the group and James as the things escalated. A few moments later protestors began throwing objects such as water bottles and eggs at Kleinhenz’s SUV. At this point James returned to his vehicle and retrieved a pistol which he waived around for 2 seconds until he put it in his pocket.
Protestors began yelling at the police aid that James had a weapon. Before we could see the gun confiscated the video cut to the SUV being towed and Kleinhenz talking calmly to police officers across the street.
Police reports state that after James,” flipped off” the protestors they responded by removing his keys, cellphone, and throwing objects at the car. It is stated that after this James exited the car with his gun which was quickly confiscated, and he was removed from the intersection. Although the police report states that James was inside his car when it was being damaged and exited the vehicle with his gun, the video shows James outside of his vehicle arguing with protestors, then returning to grab his pistol. It is important to mention that for the majority of this encounter the police aids were facing the group of protestors and not James.
Witnesses say that Kleinhenz has antagonized protestors before this incident and that it has been an,” ongoing escalating thing”. Last month Kleinhenz helped organize a counter-protest to the rally for defunding the police department. He was quoted saying,”We’re with Black Lives Matter, of course. We want to see the change. Get the bad out... Bring in funding to have more extensive training, bringing better quality type officers”.
Kleinhenz was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated and driving with a high blood-alcohol-concentration, while two other protestors, one of them being a minor, were arresting for other crimes during the incident.
Image Credit: Jason Leemon Unsplash
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