(FOX40.COM) \u2014 Police are investigating after a man said he was assaulted while protesting ICE in downtown Sacramento.<\/p>\n
Scott Stauffer told FOX40 that a group of \u201cMAGA\u201d supporters showed up around 3 p.m. Saturday when he was protesting alongside a few others outside the John E. Moss Federal Building, which houses the Sacramento Immigration Court and has faced criticism<\/a> from local leaders over its use as an ICE detention facility.<\/p>\n \u201cThey show up [with] 20 trucks, take up this whole road,\u201d Stauffer said. \u201cI don\u2019t know what they got upset over.\u201d<\/p>\n At first, a few people broke Stauffer\u2019s car windshield, he said. When he fought back, Stauffer said the group then beat him with baseball bats and metal implements, wrestled him to the ground and \u201cbear sprayed\u201d him. A video<\/a> (warning: graphic content and language) posted to social media by 916 Today shows Stauffer being beaten by a group of at least six people while the street is blocked by a large number of vehicles, many of which flew American flags.<\/p>\n \u201cI got hit with the bat a couple times in the ribs,\u201d Stauffer said. \u201cOther than that, I\u2019m sore from wrestling\u2026 No busted mouth; I didn\u2019t go to the hospital. Just the ribs [are] sore.\u201d<\/p>\n Stauffer believes there was \u201cintent\u201d behind the alleged assault: \u201cYou don\u2019t come out that deep and just cruise around.\u201d<\/p>\n The Sacramento Police Department told FOX40 that officers responded to the alleged assault on the 500 block of N St just before 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, but the suspects had already fled. The department said officers have investigated and are \u201cactively conducting follow-up.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe Sacramento Police Department continues to monitor demonstrations and responds to them as necessary,\u201d the department said in a statement. \u201cWhile we support and protect individuals\u2019 First Amendment rights to lawfully protest, the safety of everyone involved remains our priority. Acts of physical assault will not be tolerated.\u201d<\/p>\n Stauffer told FOX40 he grew up in Los Angeles and has traveled to various cities for protests and rallies. He\u2019s been in Sacramento for the past month, he said, to support friends and family and show his opposition to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement \u2014 \u201cwe want to get ICE out.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re tired of people being separated from families,\u201d Stauffer said. \u201cWe\u2019re tired of all the horrible stuff that\u2019s going on.\u201d<\/p>\n