Sunday 6 November 2022 10:43 PM Zeldin supporter choked by man at Hochul rally, tussles with NYC councilwoman trends now
A woman protesting at a Manhattan rally for Governor Kathy Hochul was choked by another person in attendance Saturday evening, footage shows.
The video, posted by Viral News New York, shows the moments when a supporter of Republican gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin was attacked by at least two people while protesting the Governor's campaign appearance.
Hochul was holding an event alongside Bravo's Andy Cohen near the Stonewall Inn.
In the video, a man in shorts and a plaid shirt can be seen choking the woman, now identified as Angelica Torres, who was wearing a black sweatshirt.
The man in the plaid shirt and the woman to the left of him were both accused of physically harming the woman in the black sweatshirt as she protested Gov. Hochul's rally in NYC
Tensions remain high in the final days of the campaign for New York's governorship between Republican Lee Zeldin and Democrat Kathy Hochul
Also involved in the physical altercation was Councilwoman Crystal Hudson, a Democrat. Hudson represents Prospect Heights in Brooklyn.
An individual with Viral News New York spoke with Torres who was choked. After the incident, she claimed she 'never wanted to get physical.'
'I was here holding my sign, and -- peaceful protest, against you know, Gov. Hochul, and a woman — a very large heavyset woman, I'm assuming, you know, might have been a man — came and took my sign,' the woman told the outlet.
It's unclear what led to the altercation as the beginning of the fight was not caught on video.
'As I was trying to retrieve my sign, there was another man that came and choked me, and there were two other people that were coming and preventing me from trying to get my sign,' she said.
Torres, seen wearing a 'vote them out' sign with pictures of Hochul and other Democrats running in the November election, said she had no intention of doing anything but peacefully protesting.
'[I] never wanted to get physical with anyone, I was just there peacefully just holding my sign, and you know, they didn't want to hear what I had to say,' she said.
Torres also spoke with FOX News Sunday, saying she was upset she was attacked for having a difference of opinion.
'I was very shocked and upset that I couldn't express my opinions openly without violence. Crime and violence is a big issue in our city,' she said.
Torres also said that she sought medical treatment and reported the incident to the police.
Photos taken after the incident showed the man appearing to speak with police officers. It is unknown if he has been arrested and charged, however.
The woman told Viral News New York she just wanted to peacefully protest outside Hochul's rally near the Stonewall Inn Saturday night
Photos taken after the incident showed the unidentified man speaking with NYPD officers after the assault occurred
The initial video that shows the woman being choked is just 24 seconds long but has nearly 300,000 views on Twitter.
Those on the
