Video: Brawl breaks out involving LA councilman who refused to resign following racist remarks on leaked audio

Los Angeles City Councilman Kevin de León (D) got into a physical altercation with a community activist on Friday evening at a holiday event, KABC reported.

What's the background?

In October, de León faced heavy criticism following a leaked audio recording from a closed-door meeting with fellow Democrat councilmembers. In the recorded audio, the group can be heard making offensive and racist remarks about colleagues.

The meeting, which took place last year, included de León, former Council President Nury Martinez, former Federation President Ron Herrera, and Councilmember Gil Cedillo. De León and Cedillo were the only two involved who chose not to resign from their positions.

Since the scandal, Cedillo lost his reelection campaign, and his final day as city councilmember is Monday. De León has apologized for the offensive language but refuses to resign.

What are the details?

On December 9, a 10-second video of a scuffle between de León and an activist identified as Jason Reedy was posted online.

The short video showed de León clutching Reedy's jacket and pushing him down onto a table. De León then pulls Reedy up from the table and pushes him down a hall while still holding onto his jacket.

The video, which only showed a small portion of the incident, was posted to Twitter by the local activist groups RootsAction and J-TOWN Action and Solidarity.

Another, longer video was posted on Saturday, which showed the moments leading up to the fight. That video captured activists surrounding de León as he attempted to leave the room and close the door behind him.

Reedy is seen forcing his way into the room, where he uses his body to back de León against the wall. The councilman and Reedy are both seen holding their hands up; however, Reedy bumps his head against de León's.

The video then captures the councilman grabbing Reedy's jacket, and the scuffle ensues.

According to Los Angeles Police Department, law enforcement received a call around 6:30 p.m. about a "large fight" at a toy giveaway and Christmas tree lighting in Lincoln Heights.

"While participating in a local community event, Councilmember De Leon was approached by multiple community members, who blocked his path of travel as he attempted to leave the building," the LAPD stated Saturday. "It was during this encounter that an allegation was made of one male, identified as Jason Reedy, headbutting, pushing, and punching Councilmember De Leon.”

"Councilmember De Leon and Reedy continued the altercation outside of the building, where Reedy left before officers' arrival," authorities continued. "Shortly after the incident, officers completed a battery report for Councilmember De Leon. Several hours later, Reedy also completed a battery report at a local police station, where an allegation was made that Councilmember De Leon grabbed and threw Reedy."

According to de León's office, Reedy and the other activists instigated the Friday altercation. The council member stated that Reedy headbutted him, a staff member was elbowed in the face, and a volunteer was also harmed during the fight.

Following the altercation, de León told KABC on Friday, "When he headbutted me is when I grabbed him. And I grabbed him and put him on the table. I held him on the table there for maybe five to 10 seconds. Then, at that moment, I let him go. Another melee ensued. He turned a corner. He threw a punch at me – full-blown punch. It hit me right in the face. Threw a second punch at me, missed me."

Reedy's attorney, Shakeer Rahman, claimed that de León and his supporters were the ones who escalated the incident.

"Video footage clearly shows him and his supporters initiating this assault while Mr. Reedy stands with his hands up," said Rahman. "Not only has Kevin de León lost all political legitimacy, his claims that he was the one attacked here simply underscores how he's lost touch with reality."

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