ARRESTED: Man yells 'womp, womp' as he pulls a gun at immigration protesters
A former high school teacher from Alabama was arrested on Saturday at a "Families Belong Together" demonstration after he allegedly pulled out a gun and brandished it during the protest after shouting "womp, womp."
Police said that 34-year-old Shane Ryan Sealy was arrested on charges of menacing and reckless endangerment after he allegedly pulled out a gun following a scuffle with another protester in a Huntsville park.
According to the event's page on Facebook, the protest was held across the nation to rally against President Donald Trump's stringent immigration policy, which is separating families at the border.
Separation of families at the United States-Mexico border has come under severe scrutiny by activists, lawmakers and human rights organization across the world. The separation is a part of President Donald Trump's "zero-tolerance" policy associated with the crackdown on immigration in the country.
Reports state that the controversial policy has led to the separation of more than 2,000 children from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Sealy, during the incident, was captured on camera disrupting speakers and a prayer session as he paced back and forth with a sign and shouting "womp womp." The remark was recently used by President Trump's former campaign manager Corey Lewadowskiin in response to a child with Down Syndrome being separated from her parents.
Sealy was also carrying a sign reading "Ice Ice Baby," suggesting his support to the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) which is assigned to detain and deport immigrants in the country.
Huntsville Police Lt. Michael Johnson, while speaking to HuffPost in an email, said that Sealy, at some point during the protest, allegedly pushed one of the protesters, who pushed him back. Sealy then fell to the ground and when he got up, he retrieved a Clock 19 handgun from his waistband and "waved it around visible to the crowd."
A video clip of the entire incident was captured by the bystanders where people can be seen shouting as Sealy stands there with the gun in his right hand. A man, who is standing across from him, can be heard shouting "Gun! gun! gun!” after seeing the weapon.
Noticing the commotion, Sealy swiftly puts the gun back in his waistband and walks away from the crowd. Police added that shortly after the incident a police cruiser pulled up to him and multiple officers surrounded him and took him into custody for brandishing a firearm within 1,000 feet of a protest. The officials were reportedly assigned to monitor the event.
Under Alabama state law, firearms are not permitted at public demonstrations, whether loaded or unloaded. According to jailhouse records, Sealy was booked into a Madison County jail before being released late on Saturday night.
Sealy had reportedly worked as an English teacher at the local Grissom High School for nearly eight weeks in 2016, according to Huntsville station WHNT.
Rally organizer Ava Caldwell, while speaking to WHNT, said: "He pulled out a gun. I saw him holding it out in front of him. We just started screaming for everybody to drop to the ground. We all dropped to the ground crying."
No shots were fired during the protest, and no one was reported injured.