Man charged for allegedly pulling gun on Black Lives Matter mural bystander
A Northern California man is facing charges after allegedly pulling a gun on a person standing near a Black Lives Matter mural earlier this month, according to the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutors say Joseph Osuna, 30, was driving his 2015 Jeep Wrangler near the mural painted in front of the courthouse in Martinez on July 5 when he began yelling at people standing near the mural and exchanged words with one of them.
The district attorney’s office says Osuna made a U-turn, got out of the car, pulled out a loaded revolver and pointed it at the bystander.
“He rolled by us and yelled at everybody and flipped us off, so I got on my skateboard just kinda followed him to get the plates. He made a U-turn, came back at me and pointed a gun in my face, said ‘You want to do something?’ That’s it, a cop was behind him, immediately pulled him over, thank God,” a witness at the scene told CNN affiliate KGO.
Officers from the Martinez Police Department stopped Osuna and found the gun — not registered to him — in his car, the DA’s office said.
CNN affiliate KGO recorded video of the arrest. Contra Costa County District Attorney spokesman Scott Alonso confirmed to CNN the man seen in the video is indeed Osuna.
He is charged with unlawful firearm activity and possessing a firearm not registered to him, both felonies, as well as a misdemeanor of exhibiting a concealed weapon in public. He could face up to three years in custody if found guilty.
CNN was unable to locate contact information for Osuna. The DA’s office did not know if the man had an attorney. Osuna will be sent a notice to appear in court, Alonso said.
Two other people, in a separate incident, are facing a hate crime charge and multiple misdemeanor charges for allegedly defacing that same mural during the July 4 holiday weekend. A woman was captured on video painting over the yellow-lettered mural with black paint while a man wearing a red Trump shirt that read “Four more years” filmed.
