Pro-Palestinian Protester Avoided Jail Time After Punching Female Capitol Police

Members of U.S. Capitol Police and protesters stand off outside the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee during a demonstration against the war between Israel and Hamas on Capitol Hill in Washington on Nov. 15, 2023. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

A pro-Palestinian activist who allegedly attacked a female police officer last November in the Capitol Hill neighborhood has been sentenced to community service, court records suggest.

The Nov. 15 protest, described by the Capitol Police as “not peaceful,” drew approximately 200 people to the Democratic National Committee headquarters. Protesters blocked entrances and exits of the building, in an attempt to force Democrats inside to encounter their candlelight vigil for those killed in the Gaza war and their calls for an immediate cease-fire.

Inside the building were scores of Democrat candidates and members of Congress, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.). They were directed to shelter in the basement while the Capitol Police physically removed the protesters who refused to leave.

“When the group moved dumpsters in front of the exits, pepper sprayed our officers and attempted to pick up the bike rack, our teams quickly introduced consequences–pulling people off the building, pushing them back, and clearing them from the area, so we could safely evacuate the Members and staff,” the Capitol Police said the day following the protest.

During the chaos, 24-year-old Ruben Arthur Camacho of Woodridge, New York, was arrested after allegedly slamming a female officer into a garage door and then punching her in the face.

According to court filings, Mr. Camacho was among a crowd of protesters who tried to lock their arms to block a garage exit of the DNC building. He was seen slipping free from a police officer’s grasp before turning back toward the garage to slam another female officer up against the garage door. The witness alleged that Mr. Camacho then struck the female officer in the right side of her face, causing both to fall to the ground.

Mr. Camacho, who claimed that he was “only defending himself” when the police put him in handcuffs, pleaded guilty to one count of felony assault on a police officer. In December, he was sentenced to 48 hours of community service.

The Dec. 16 sentence was first noticed by Julie Kelly, an independent journalist known for her coverage of participants of the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol.

“This will certainly outrage many J6ers and their families,” she wrote in a thread on X, highlighting the stark contrast between the treatment given to Mr. Camacho and Jan. 6 participants accused of assaulting Capitol Police officers.

“Camacho was not denied release from jail pending trial or plea,” she wrote. “He was not condemned as an ‘insurrectionist’ or ‘domestic terrorist’ by federal prosecutors.”

Ms. Kelly also noted that although the pro-Palestinian protester was charged by Matthew Graves, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, his case stayed in the local Superior Court of the District of Columbia. By contrast, Jan. 6 defendants charged by the same prosecutor had to face the federal criminal justice system.

“Camacho—unlike Julian Khater or Thomas Webster or Ronald McAbee to name just a few—won’t be sentenced to 6 or 8 or 10 years in federal prison while having his name dragged through the mud by the media and family bankrupted and reputation destroyed,“ she wrote. ”In fact, no one has ever heard of Camacho until now.”

“Camacho only has to perform 48 hours of community service in DC then his case goes bye bye.”

According to the Capitol Police, a total of six Capitol Police officers were hurt during the protest outside the DNC building: four from being pepper sprayed, one from a punch to the face, and one with a knee injury.

Several Democrat members of Congress spoke against the violent behavior. Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), the co-chair of the House Israeli Allies Caucus, was one of the individuals evacuated from the DNC building. He called the protesters “pro-terrorist” and “anti-Israel.”

Rep. Sean Casten (D-Ill.), also among those evacuated from the building, asked the protesters not to “do something irresponsible.”

“You have the Constitutional right to peaceably assemble and protest,” the congressman wrote on X. “But blocking all entries to a building with multiple members of Congress in it, protected by Capitol Police officers who have lived through January 6 is putting you and other innocent people at risk.”

The ceasefire protests have been ongoing in Washington, D.C. since Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel and reignited the long-running conflict. On Oct. 18, nearly 300 protesters were arrested for demonstrating inside the Cannon House Office Building, chanting “Let Gaza live” and “Ceasefire now.”