Veteran Charged After Shooting Anti-Israel Man Who Tackled Him During Protest

Scott Hayes, 47, was charged on Thursday after he shot a man wearing a pro-Palestinian pin who charged and tackled him during a protest in Newton, Mass.

The charges, announced Thursday night by Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan, include assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and violation of a constitutional right causing injury. Hayes will be arraigned in Newton District Court on Friday. 

In a video obtained by The Daily Wire, a man wearing the pin and a surgical mask around his neck stood on the opposite side of the street, yelling at a group of 10 protesters. He called them “sick” and accused them of “supporting genocide.”

BREAKING: Anti-Israel man shot in stomach after charging through traffic to tackle a man at a pro-Israel demonstration outside Boston in Newton, Massachusetts.

Footage obtained exclusively by @KassyAkiva: pic.twitter.com/nsGN3MQVAO

— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) September 13, 2024

The man then runs across the street through traffic and tackles Hayes, who was preparing to leave before the attack. Moments later, while the attacker was on top of Hayes on the ground, Hayes shot the man in the stomach. In another video, Hayes is seen placing the gun behind him on the pavement after the shot.

Hayes, who was holding American and Israeli flags throughout the protest, is then seen in an additional video telling bystanders to call 911 and tending to the wounds of the man who attacked him.

In another video, the man who fired the gun is seen providing medical care to the man who tackled him before first responders arrived. pic.twitter.com/wMtoowakr9

— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) September 13, 2024

Other protesters told The Daily Wire they were not aware Hayes had a firearm, but believe he was acting in self defense.

Hayes, a Iraq War veteran frequently attends pro-Israel protests and rallies around Massachusetts to show his support for the Jewish state and to call for the release of the 101 hostages currently held by Hamas in Gaza. 

“We’ve been to standouts like this often and nothing like this has ever happened,” Aidin, a pro-Israel Iranian who attends protests with Hayes, told The Daily Wire, declining to give his last name. “I was shocked when the man ran across the street and had no idea why he would do that.”

Though Hayes is not Jewish, the Jewish community quickly came to his aid, raising over $30,000 in a GoFundMe to pay for his legal defense fund as of Friday morning. Others plan to attend his arraignment to show their support, sources told The Daily Wire.

Newton, a suburb of Boston, is considered one of the most Jewish cities in the United States. Jews make up between 20 and 30% of the population, according to Forward.

Here is the press conference with Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan announcing that Scott Hayes will be charged after shooting the man with a pro-Palestinian pin who tackled him during a protest. pic.twitter.com/YBuRhzHeJU

— Kassy Akiva (@KassyAkiva) September 13, 2024

The man shot suffered life-threatening injuries, Ryan said during a press conference that included the Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller and the police chief. 

Ryan did not say if the anti-Israel man will be charged.

Fuller called the situation a “frightening incident’ and asked the public to let the police “do their work and get their facts straight.”

Anti-Defamation League New England said it was “concerning” that “charges were immediately filed prior to completion of the investigation” in a statement on X.

Ryan’s office did not immediately return a request for comment.