RICHMOND, Va. -- Richmond Police said they were aware of a five-minute YouTube video that showed a tense standoff between a group of armed protesters and a man wearing a MAGA country shirt near the Robert E. Lee Monument in Richmond.
The video, titled "MAGA Shirt guy meets Armed Road Block at Robert E. Lee Statue," was uploaded to YouTube on Saturday and has been viewed nearly 40,000 times.
It is unclear from the video, when exactly it was recorded.
In the video, it appears the protesters will not allow the man in the red MAGA Country shirt to ride his bicycle close to the Lee Monument where groups were celebrating Juneteeth.
While threats of violence could be heard against the man if he traveled close to the statue, Richmond Police said no reports regarding this incident were filed with the department.
CBS 6 has reached out to the YouTube account that posted the video with questions about the incident but has not yet heard back from the page administrator.
If in fact the video was recorded on Saturday, tensions were already high near the monument.
Earlier Saturday morning, Richmond Police arrested an airport police officer for trespassing in a building near the monument.
People camping at the base of the monument called Richmond Police at about 6:30 a.m. concerned that a person on the roof had a gun.
The airport police officer was in fact legally armed, police said.
Protesters have taken over the ground surrounding the Lee Monument, renaming the area after Marcus David Peters. A Richmond Police officer shot and killed Peters in 2018. The shooting was ruled justified. Peters' family has since pushed the city to establish a citizen review board of the police and create a Marcus Alert to better inform first responders that a person may be going through a mental health crisis at the time of a 911 call. Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney has since agreed to those points.
In response to vehicles illegally parked near the monument, a Richmond Police spokesperson said the department would likely issue a statement Monday or Tuesday regarding parking near the Lee Monument which has, at times. impeded traffic flow.
