Sen. Rand Paul tweets that he was attacked by 'angry mob' when protesters confronted him after RNC

Video shows dozens of people confronting Paul and his wife in a Washington street after midnight.

AP logo
Friday, August 28, 2020
Video shows DC protestors confront Rand Paul about Breonna Taylor
Video shows dozens of people confronting Paul and his wife, who were flanked by Metro Police, in a Washington street after midnight.

WASHINGTON -- A crowd of protesters surrounded U.S. Sen. Rand Paul as he was leaving the White House following the Republican National Convention early Friday, shouting for the legislator from Kentucky to acknowledge the shooting of Breonna Taylor.

Video posted on social media showed dozens of people confronting Paul and his wife, who were flanked by Metro Police, in a Washington street after midnight.

Protesters could be heard shouting "No Justice, No Peace" and "Say Her Name" before one appeared to briefly clash with an officer, pushing him and his bike backward, sending the officer into Paul's shoulder.

Officers called for demonstrators to move backward and get on the sidewalk.

Taylor's name has been a rallying cry among demonstrators during recent protests against racial inequality and police brutality. The 26-year-old emergency medical tech was shot multiple times March 13 when police officers burst into her Louisville apartment using a no-knock warrant during a narcotics investigation.

RELATED | Breonna Taylor's family meets with Kentucky attorney general

From July 10, 2020: Newly released audio sheds light on the killing of Breonna Taylor by Louisville police. ABC News Correspondent Steve Osunsami reports.

The warrant to search her home was in connection with a suspect who did not live there, and no drugs were found.

After the encounter Friday morning, Paul tweeted that he "got attacked" by a "crazed mob" one block away from the White House, later thanking police for "saving our lives."

It was unclear whether any protesters made physical contact with Paul. The senator and his wife kept walking and did not appear to have suffered any injuries.

Sen. Rand Paul speaks at the 2020 Republican National Convention on Tuesday, Aug. 25.

The senator, who was wearing a mask as he walked down the street, was leaving the White House after President Donald Trump accepted the GOP's renomination on the South Lawn earlier Thursday.

Trump was criticized for defying his own administration's pandemic guidelines by speaking for more than an hour to a tightly packed, largely maskless crowd.

Videos showed other attendees being confronted by protesters after leaving the event.

Copyright © 2024 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.