WASHINGTON — A 21-year-old Florida man has been arrested and charged following a moment of chaos during Saturday's March for Our Lives rally on the National Mall that sent attendees scattering in fear.
In a startling moment that broke the silence being held for the recent Uvalde, Texas elementary school shooting, a man near the stage was heard shouting "I am the gun" into the crowd, while also throwing an unidentified object. Many people dashed away from the stage during the few seconds of chaos and some fell to the ground.
Park Police said no weapons were found, and the man was escorted away from the rally after his interruption and was detained. Park Police said that no threat to the public was found.
Mitchell Martinez, 21 years old, of Coral Gables, Florida was charged with disorderly conduct, creating fear and disorderly conduct and disrupting a gathering.
The speaker at the moment of disruption, Erica Ford - a Co-Architect of the New York City Crisis Management System - shouted out to the crowd from the stage, attempting to help people stay calm and urging them not to give the apparent agitator any more attention.
"Do not run! Please do not run. There is no issue here," she called into the microphone.
Martinez was released with a citation to appear in court later. The next court date has not yet been set.
Moments of panic at 'March for Our Lives'
The rally for gun reform on the National Mall Saturday brought out thousands of protesters, survivors and activists. Rally goers listened to impassioned speakers, many of whom are bonded through tragedies and trauma by the firing of a gun. One of the D.C. organizers, also a gun violence survivor himself, expressed concerns about local leaders and how a four-letter word can be a solution.
"When I spoke to Mayor Bowser two years ago about creating safer spaces for Black children and people in our city, she told me she would handle it," said 20-year-old RuQuan Brown. "If that were true, I wouldn't be on this stage."
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The rally was initially announced just days after the Ulvade shooting, in which 19 children and two teachers died when an 18-year-old gunman opened fire with an AR-15-style rifle inside Robb Elementary School. Days before that, a white 18-year-old wearing military gear and live streaming with a helmet camera opened fire with a rifle at a supermarket in Buffalo, killing 10 people and wounding three others.
Saturday's rally was the second March for Our Lives event held in D.C. following a large gathering in 2018 following a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
"Together, we rose up 4 years ago. 1 million of us demanded change. We built a movement. We voted for new leaders. And the gun deaths increased," the organization tweeted upon announcing the rally. "Now is the moment we march again."
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