Richland sheriff needs help identifying two men accused of Columbia protest attack

The Richland County Sheriff’s Department is trying to identify two men accused of assaulting a bystander during Saturday’s protest in Columbia.

The sheriff’s department released photos and video from Saturday’s protest march against the death of George Floyd they say contain the two suspects in the attack.

The two are accused of attacking a man in the crowd they accused of calling the police. A man wearing a purple shirt reportedly struck the victim, and others in the crowd are believed to have also continued to assault the man, the sheriff’s department said in a release.

One man can be seen in the photos wearing a purple shirt and black pants. The second is wearing multi-colored shorts that are described as primarily orange.

Anyone with information about the men seen in the photos and video is asked to call Crimestoppers at 888-CRIME-SC.

This story was originally published June 5, 2020 at 11:20 AM.

Bristow Marchant

The State

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Bristow Marchant covers local government, schools and community in Lexington County for The State. He graduated from the College of Charleston in 2007. He has almost 20 years of experience covering South Carolina at the Clinton Chronicle, Sumter Item and Rock Hill Herald. He joined The State in 2016. Bristow has won numerous awards, most recently the S.C. Press Association’s 2024 education reporting award.  Support my work with a digital subscription