Muhammad Ashraf, owner of Nationwide Chauffeur Services, told Red Alert that though he is not a Trump supporter, he does not feel that the protester’s destructive tactics were productive.
"I have a different point of view," he said, "I did not agree with many of the things [Trump] said, but that still does not give me the right to go and affect someone's livelihood…I really don't think we need to take this [violent] route."
The limo driver, 58-year-old Luis Villarroel, was dropping off a client when protesters began breaking windows and vandalizing doors, eventually using bricks and stones. He suffered cuts on his arms and hands and was went to the hospital for treatment.
Ashraf, remarked, "[We've] been in business for over 25 years and this is the first time this has happened."
About 400-500 protesters made their to Franklin Square the morning of Inauguration Day, as 'antifascist' activists dressed in black used hammers and crowbars to vandalize McDonalds, Starbucks and other businesses and vehicles, just blocks from the White House, before confronting police. They were met with tear gas and flash bang grenades.
Broadcast journalist Larry King reported that his SUV was vandalized in the melee, while in DC covering the inauguration with Russia Today (RT).
Reports show that roughly 230 arrests were made that day, with some facing felony riot charges that could bring up to 10 years in prison and fines of up to $25,000. In an evening news briefing after the incident, Washington DC mayor Muriel Bowser said, "We welcome visitors to our city. But we will not tolerate the destruction of our neighborhoods and we absolutely will not tolerate violence against our police officers."
DC police chief Peter Newsam noted that the city, "had thousands of people that came to Washington DC to peacefully demonstrate. Unfortunately we had a small group that wanted to disrupt the inauguration…We have significant damage in a number of blocks in our city."
On Monday a lawsuit was filed against DC police, claiming that medics, reporters and legal observers were indiscriminately rounded up and arrested although they broke no laws.
