Exclusive: Suspect Arrested in Los Angeles Following Violent Assault on Falun Gong Practitioner
Left: Medical documentation from the Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center detailing May Zhang’s physical examination following the assault. Right: Los Angeles-based Falun Gong practitioner May Zhang holds a banner calling for resignations from the Chinese Communist Party.
LOS ANGELES — A middle-aged man was arrested on April 19 after allegedly attacking a 70-year-old Falun Gong volunteer with a tree branch and metal wiring. The assault occurred shortly after noon in the City of Industry, leaving the victim hospitalized with injuries to her head and wrist.
The victim, May Zhang, provided an account of the incident in a phone interview with the Falun Dafa Information Center on April 21.
From banner removal to physical violence
Ms. Zhang is a volunteer for the Tuidang (Quit the Party) movement, which encourages Chinese citizens to renounce their ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its affiliated organizations. According to Ms. Zhang, she and a fellow volunteer had displayed banners reading “End CCP” near a major thoroughfare earlier that morning.
Around noon, she observed a man removing the banners. Hoping to recover her stolen property, she approached him.
“When he began taking down our banners, we thought perhaps they weren’t permitted in that specific spot. I walked up and calmly informed him that the banners belonged to me,” Ms. Zhang recalled. “I was concerned there might be a language barrier, so I tried to make it clear that while we accepted the removal of the banners, we simply wanted them returned. He responded by screaming erratically.”
Ms. Zhang stated that the man initially tried to shove her away. When she persisted in asking for the property, he reportedly threw stones at her before brandishing several lengths of heavy-gauge wire, thrusting them toward her face. Ms. Zhang managed to evade the wires and maintained a safe distance while continuing to follow him in hopes of retrieving the banners.
The confrontation moved into a nearby commercial plaza. When Ms. Zhang asked for the banners a final time, the man allegedly struck her on the head with a tree branch. She instinctively raised her arm to shield herself, but the force of the blow caused injuries to both her head and wrist.
Bystanders intervened and subdued the man until authorities arrived. Witnesses noted that while he was being restrained, the man made a phone call to an unidentified individual. Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies arrived shortly thereafter and took him into custody.
Pattern of escalating hostility
This incident follows a troubling surge of physical assaults targeting Falun Gong practitioners across America. Similar attacks were documented in New York City throughout February and late March. Notably, this latest confrontation marks the first time this year that a suspect was apprehended at the scene.
Transnational repression targeting Falun Gong practitioners is a documented phenomenon spanning more than two decades. In September 2025 alone, three separate incidents of intimidation and assault were reported in Los Angeles.
In recent years, the CCP has escalated its campaign against Falun Gong globally, employing tactics that include mobilizing social media influencers, deploying disinformation networks, and cultivating influence within Western mainstream media.
Li Youfu, president of the U.S. Southwest Falun Dafa Association, said the CCP’s recent transnational repression tactics would not deter the community from their human rights advocacy.
