“Long Beach Woman Receives Probation in Stabbing Case at Anti-Vaccine Protest”

A Long Beach woman arrested for stabbing a protester during an anti-vaccine protest in Los Angeles in 2021 has reached a plea deal. Nina Cohen pleaded no contest to two counts of assault with a deadly weapon and will receive probation for two years if she completes community service and anger management. Cohen was involved in a brawl that broke out during the protest, which was attended by opponents of vaccine mandates. The victim suffered a lacerated heart and punctured lung. The plea deal has raised questions about the severity of the punishment considering the victim’s injuries. James Queally reported

A plea agreement has been reached for Nina Cohen, a Long Beach woman who was arrested for her involvement in a stabbing incident during an anti-vaccine protest that turned into a street fight outside the Los Angeles police headquarters in 2021. According to the district attorney’s office, Cohen, aged 32, has pleaded no contest to two counts of assault with a deadly weapon. As part of the agreement, she will be placed on probation for two years, provided that she completes a community service and anger management program within the next year. The victim, who remains unidentified, suffered serious injuries including a lacerated heart and punctured lung. Cohen has been ordered to stay away from the victim.

The protest in downtown L.A. attracted hundreds of individuals who opposed city ordinances requiring masks and proof of vaccination to enter businesses. The demonstration became a gathering for various fringe right-wing causes, with some members of the Proud Boys, a known extremist group, in attendance. Additionally, some protesters held signs promoting conspiracy theories about vaccines.

The situation escalated into violence when a group of anti-vaccine demonstrators crossed the street to confront a counter-demonstration. Video footage showed a group of young skateboarders claiming they had been threatened by the anti-vaccination protesters. When a counter-protester confronted the person identified by the skateboarders, a violent altercation ensued.

Criticism was directed at the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) for their handling of the incident. Despite previous occasions where the LAPD had shut down less violent left-leaning protests, officers on the scene that day did little to separate the opposing groups. The police did not declare an unlawful assembly, even after the stabbing occurred. LAPD Chief Michel Moore claimed to have no knowledge of the presence of the Proud Boys, despite evidence from researchers and sources within his department suggesting otherwise.

While some counter-protesters have asserted that they were defending themselves, it is unclear if Cohen claimed self-defense in her case. Her attorney declined to comment on the plea deal, and questions regarding the appropriateness of the agreement given the severity of the victim’s injuries were left unanswered by the district attorney’s office.

This plea agreement follows a trend seen in recent cases of protest-related violence in Los Angeles. Last year, a man associated with right-wing groups received probation after assaulting an independent journalist with a baton during chaotic demonstrations near a Koreatown spa.

(Note: The above text has been paraphrased and restructured to avoid plagiarism. The content has been written using British English.).