The creator known as Dante said he was injured near a federal detention center after interviewing people with differing political views.
LOS ANGELES, CA — A social media creator and street interviewer says he was choked, punched and stabbed in the leg after a No Kings demonstration in downtown Los Angeles on Oct. 17, an alleged attack that he believes was connected to his interviews with people holding opposing political views.
The interviewer, who identifies himself publicly as Dante and runs the In The Streets LA account, told FOX 11 Los Angeles that the confrontation happened near the Metropolitan Detention Center after the main demonstration had ended. Dante said he was punched in the jaw, choked and stabbed in the leg and later required medical attention. The Los Angeles Police Department told the station it had no record of any arrests connected to the reported attack. Details of the assault, including the identities of those involved, have not been independently confirmed.
Dante said he believes a small group of people who remained near the detention center objected to his work interviewing people across the political spectrum. His account features conversations with protesters and people holding a range of political views. Dante told FOX 11 that much of his content is liberal-leaning but that he has also interviewed supporters of President Donald Trump and people with other viewpoints.
According to Dante, people at the scene accused him of “snitch-jacketing,” a term generally used for portraying someone as a police informant or snitch. He said the accusation was directed at him even though he viewed himself as an independent interviewer documenting events and speaking with participants. No evidence identifying a motive for the reported assault has been released by authorities.
Dante also criticized what he described as a lack of intervention from other members of the press who were nearby. “As I looked around, I saw press members turning a blind eye to what was happening to me,” he told FOX 11. His account of who witnessed the incident and what they did has not been independently verified.
The reported attack came after hundreds of people gathered earlier that day at Gloria Molina Grand Park for a downtown Los Angeles No Kings event. The Oct. 17 action was organized as part of a nationwide “No Kings: Vote Early” campaign focused on encouraging voter participation ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections. The Los Angeles event began with a rally and was followed by a march through downtown.
Organizers described the October action as different from earlier No Kings demonstrations, which had focused more heavily on opposition to Trump administration policies. The latest campaign emphasized early voting and voter participation and barred candidate endorsements, party promotion and campaign activity at official events. Organizers also stated that nonviolence and de-escalation were core principles and told participants not to bring weapons.
Los Angeles Times reporting from the Oct. 17 demonstration described several hundred people gathering at Grand Park before marching through downtown. Protesters carried signs criticizing Trump and spoke about immigration enforcement, voting rights and the coming midterm elections. Separate video from the area showed supporters and opponents of the No Kings movement exchanging slogans near a federal building, though the material reviewed did not establish a connection between those confrontations and the alleged attack on Dante.
Dante said the incident would not stop him from continuing to interview people with different political beliefs. He said he supports the broader protest movement but objects to people using political causes to justify mistreating others. As of the latest reporting, authorities had not announced an arrest in connection with his allegations, and no suspect information or additional investigative findings had been publicly released.
Author note: Last updated October 22, 2026.