Dante is speaking out against both his alleged attackers and the local newscast he says distorted his story.
The independent content creator, who operates the social media account In The Streets LA, told FOX 11 that demonstrators at a downtown Los Angeles “No Kings” rally assaulted him Saturday near the Metropolitan Detention Center. Dante, who has spent more than a year documenting protests, said he suffered a punch to the jaw, a chokehold, and a stab wound to the leg during the confrontation.
His injuries required medical attention, but the interviewer said the physical pain was not what troubled him most.
“Anything physical can harm us. Pain is temporary, and we’ve all been hurt before,” he told the outlet. “But as I looked around, I saw press members turning a blind eye to what was happening to me.”
Dante contends the violence erupted because some protesters objected to his practice of interviewing people across the political spectrum. He estimates roughly 80% of his content features liberal-leaning perspectives, but he has also spoken with MAGA supporters, Zionists, and others holding divergent views. He claimed demonstrators accused him of “snitch-jacketing” — branding someone a police informant to endanger them.
“It’s when they call you a snitch and say that you’re a police informant when you’re really just there for your own reasons,” he explained.
Despite the alleged beating and stabbing, Dante maintained he supports the broader protest movement while condemning those he believes are co-opting it for intimidation.
“I’m for the movement,” he said. “I’m just not for people hijacking things and using oppression to fight oppression, which is totally backwards.”
The controversy extended beyond the alleged assault. In a fiery Instagram post Tuesday, Dante accused FOX 11 of stripping critical context from his account and framing him as an activist betrayed by fellow demonstrators.
“@foxla covered my stabbing but left out 80% of what I said to make a story about me being betrayed,” he wrote.
Dante said the report failed to name the organization he alleged his attackers belonged to and omitted much of his message about bridging political divides.
“I’ve interviewed MAGA supporters and people on all sides because I don’t believe anyone should be hated for their racial, religious, or political background,” he wrote.
He also accused the station of twisting his explanation of snitch-jacketing.
“But I told my story and I stand by it. I’ll be back out there once I recover,” he vowed.
The downtown Los Angeles rally began around 1 p.m. Saturday at Gloria Molina Grand Park near City Hall and concluded around 5 p.m. Demonstrators gathered as part of the nationwide “No Kings” movement opposing President Trump’s administration, protesting federal immigration enforcement and urging voter turnout ahead of November’s midterm elections.
No arrests have been reported in connection with the alleged assault. The Los Angeles Police Department told The California Post that no information was available and that officials were looking into the incident. The identities and affiliations of the alleged attackers have not been independently confirmed.
Dante’s account has drawn attention to tensions within protest movements over who qualifies as legitimate media and whether documenting diverse viewpoints constitutes collaboration with opposing sides or authorities.