Cop Seen Attending Proud Boy Rally Sure Dresses Like a Proud Boy

Among the crowd of Proud Boys who demonstrated Sunday in favor of the sale of an iconic Fresno movie theater to an allegedly anti-LGBT church organization was an off-duty member of the Fresno Police Department.

Now, the officer has been placed on paid administrative leave while the department investigates whether he has ties to the far-right group.

The Fresno Police Department is investigating Officer Rick Fitzgerald, who appeared in the YouTube live stream of Eddie Block, a prominent former member of the Proud Boys who just two months ago had his home raided by the FBI in connection with the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. The video is no longer available on YouTube.

In the video, Block is heard calling out to Fitzgerald, according to Twitter users, and at one point he even implies that the man is a member of law enforcement.

Twitter users were able to successfully identify the man as Fitzgerald using a tattoo on his left arm. Social media users were also able to track his attendance at another Proud Boy-organized “Stop the Steal” rally in Sacramento last November using the distinctive “Sheepdog” tag featured on the hat he wore to Sunday’s rally.

During the November rally, a man believed to be Fitzgerald is seen wearing the Proud Boys signature black and yellow colors, as well as a “Sheepdog” tag above a thin blue line flag patch.

“Although at this point these are merely allegations, and the matter will be fully investigated, it is important to maintain the integrity and legitimacy of our police department,” FPD Public Information Officer Robert Beckwith said in a statement. “Any allegations of actions unbecoming of a police officer or the affiliation with any alleged criminal or hate group will always be investigated and addressed. Fair and impartial policing is extremely important in our society. There is no place in our police ranks for any biased, racists, or anti-Semitic views.”

For several weeks, Fresno residents have been peacefully protesting the sale of the theater to Adventure Community Church, a California-based Christian congregation. Along with the organization’s alleged stance on gay rights, locals believe the church will use their influence to affect the viability of local businesses like bars and marijuana dispensaries along the commercial strip.

Though Fitzgerald attended the protest alongside Proud Boys Sunday, the Bee reported that he has mentioned leaving the Proud Boys in social media posts to found his own group known as the “Sons of 76,” a group he called a “patriotic fraternity.” He’s also previously encouraged others to join militant groups like the Proud Boys and the Three Percenters and has posted memes making light of police brutality, according to the publication.

Fitzgerald has been under public scrutiny before. He was one of eight police officers involved in the deadly shooting of 23-year-old Fresno Pacific University student Rod Fiorini in 2010. During that incident, the eight officers fired 63 shots at the student after he allegedly pointed a rifle at them.

Earlier this year, dozens of law enforcement members were caught attending the siege at the U.S. Capitol or doing very little to stop the attempted coup. Among them were 35 members of the U.S. Capitol Police, and cops from Seattle, New York, and Philadelphia.

(Gavin McInnes was a co-founder of VICE. He left the company in 2008 and has had no involvement since then. He later founded the Proud Boys in 2016.)