Tri-Cities BLM activist accused of helping man who headbutted Trump supporter

A leader of one of the Black Lives Matter protest groups in the Tri-Cities is accused of helping a man who headbutted a Trump supporter.

Brandon Jones, 24, was cited with second-degree rendering criminal assistance, a gross misdemeanor, for driving the alleged attacker, said Kennewick police.

Jones was driving a Cadillac Escalade on Sept. 26 when Jonathan Gilmour, 21, allegedly exited the SUV and exchanged words with supporters at a rally for President Trump.

Gilmour is charged with fourth-degree assault, also a gross misdemeanor.

Witnesses and a video reportedly show Jones and Gilmour get out of an SUV that stopped in the roadway and confront people at the rally, and then Gilmour headbutted a man.

Police say Jones and Gilmour then got back in the SUV and drove away. The victim suffered minor injuries.

Jones has been a leader of Unbound-Tri-Cities, one of three active Black Lives Matter groups in Tri-Cities.

While Jones has led some tense protests, including one in front of the Kennewick police station, he and the other members of his group have not engaged in any violence.

The Herald could not reach Jones about the charges.

Detective Sgt. Dan Todd said in a news release Tuesday that investigators also had not been able to reach either man about the incident.

▪ In an unrelated incident Tuesday, Kennewick police impounded a black Volkswagen and questioned the driver after witnesses claim he pulled a gun on some people attending a Trump rally also on Columbia Center Boulevard.

Police were called about 2:30 p.m. about the confrontation but no one was arrested and the investigation is continuing, they said.

Officers are asking anyone who has not spoken yet with police and has additional information to contact Kennewick police.

This story was originally published October 20, 2020 at 5:25 PM.