Chicago, IL - A newly released body camera footage has shed light on the alleged attack by an off-duty ICE officer on a 68-year-old protester near Chicago. The incident occurred at a suburban gas station where Robert Held, a local activist and attorney, was filming Adam Saracco, the accused.
According to the footage, Saracco claimed that Held physically resisted his attempts to take his phone away. However, witnesses described the scene as one in which Saracco allegedly tackled and pulled around an "old man". The Chicago police officer who responded to the incident stated, "Don't look good... he's grabbing at him, f---ing grabs him on the f---ing ground."
Held maintains that he was not a threat to Saracco, despite being approached by an ICE enforcement officer. He had been recording Saracco as he stopped for gas and claims that Saracco threw him to the ground.
Saracco, who faces one misdemeanor count of battery in connection with the December 27 attack, initially denied being a member of law enforcement. However, federal officials have identified him as an off-duty ICE law enforcement officer.
In his statement, Saracco spoke about being targeted for his work and claims that he was responding to direct threats against his safety. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated that the officer acted to protect himself when faced with this threatening behavior.
The only threat Saracco mentioned in the footage is Held's phone, claiming that he tried to grab it to get images and videos off. However, Held disputes this, stating that he had an artificial hip and was calmly standing with a camera on a sidewalk, trying not to escalate the situation.
Saracco's first court appearance is set for early March as he faces charges in connection with the incident. The incident highlights concerns about the treatment of activists and journalists by law enforcement agencies.
According to the footage, Saracco claimed that Held physically resisted his attempts to take his phone away. However, witnesses described the scene as one in which Saracco allegedly tackled and pulled around an "old man". The Chicago police officer who responded to the incident stated, "Don't look good... he's grabbing at him, f---ing grabs him on the f---ing ground."
Held maintains that he was not a threat to Saracco, despite being approached by an ICE enforcement officer. He had been recording Saracco as he stopped for gas and claims that Saracco threw him to the ground.
Saracco, who faces one misdemeanor count of battery in connection with the December 27 attack, initially denied being a member of law enforcement. However, federal officials have identified him as an off-duty ICE law enforcement officer.
In his statement, Saracco spoke about being targeted for his work and claims that he was responding to direct threats against his safety. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated that the officer acted to protect himself when faced with this threatening behavior.
The only threat Saracco mentioned in the footage is Held's phone, claiming that he tried to grab it to get images and videos off. However, Held disputes this, stating that he had an artificial hip and was calmly standing with a camera on a sidewalk, trying not to escalate the situation.
Saracco's first court appearance is set for early March as he faces charges in connection with the incident. The incident highlights concerns about the treatment of activists and journalists by law enforcement agencies.
this whole thing is super messed up... i mean, Saracco gets to say it was self-defense but Held had a legit reason to record that guy, right? 
what's the protocol with ICE officers doing side gigs like this? shouldn't they be held to the same standards as regular cops? 
and what about all the times activists get beat up or arrested just for showing up at rallies? it feels like a pattern of behavior here... 
, i mean saracco was being recorded just doing his job as a protester & yet he gets attacked by an off-duty ice officer... it's like, why did he need to resort to physical force? 
and now saracco's facing charges for defending himself, which is kinda ironic... what do you guys think about this whole situation? should we be worried about our rights as protesters & journalists? 
. like, come on Saracco was just filming him doing his job, but instead of trying to de-escalate, he grabs the guy and takes him down? that's not how you handle a situation... especially when the guy's got an artificial hip 
. i mean i'm not condoning Held's actions either, but Saracco's got some legit reasons for feeling threatened, you know? he was just trying to get his footage off his phone 
.
this whole thing feels super suspicious to me... like Saracco's story changes too much, you know? from him being attacked by an ICE officer who was filming, to him tackling the old dude and grabbing him on the ground 
i mean, what's the real motive here? is it really about protecting himself from a threatening behavior, or is there more to it? 
87% of arrested protesters were from minority groups 
. Meanwhile, Saracco's explanation for tackling Held makes me wonder if he was trying to cover his tracks 
. The fact that he claimed he was responding to threats about his safety is suspicious 
.
and I'm like yeah dude, that doesn't sound right at all 
