Surveillance video shows mob attack man outside Prince William Government Center

Newly obtained surveillance video shows a mob of protestors attacked a man outside the Prince William County Government Center in Woodbridge.

The attack occurred just before 2 p.m. on Tuesday, July 14, 2020, just before the start of the Board of County Supervisors meeting. The video shows a 72-year-old man attempting to walk into the government center when he was attacked by a group of protesters who were calling for supervisors to defund the county police department.

No injuries were reported. Three protestors were charged.

The incident comes one month after a contentious meeting of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors when, on June 16, Black Lives Matter protestors called for the defunding of county police and accosted multiple members of the Board of County Supervisors — both Republicans and Democrats.

Following the June 16 meeting, emails poured into the offices of county supervisors showing support for county police.

“Bottom line up front: defunding the police in Prince William County will create more problems than it will solve. The slogan to “defund the police” has been adopted at the national level as a simple first step in fixing racial inequality. Without delving into that unbelievably complex topic, I instead offer to you that the Prince William County Police Department has long demonstrated an ongoing commitment to be professional, knowledgeable, and fair in the execution of their duties to each and every citizen,” penned one resident.

“A friend of mine told me about a recent meeting where many residents showed up and stated their wishes to defund the [Prince William County] police department. I feel the need to voice my concerns about this, and let you know that I have a very hard time believing this is what the majority of people in this county want. We all need our police and we need to support them,” wrote another.

Many more emails called for defunding the police department.

“This past week, our nation has been gripped by protests calling for rapid and meaningful change with regard to police behavior, an end to racism and anti-Blackness, and immediate change in how Black people are treated in America. Our county has been at the forefront of much of this action,” wrote a Woodbridge resident. “Accordingly, it has come to my attention that the budget for 2021 is being decided as these protests continue. The [Prince William County] Police Department has been a waste of our resources.”

The Prince William County Police Department scored a 93% citizen satisfaction rating in the most recent citizen survey.