Arroyo Grande gym members won’t face charges after armed men posted on roof during protest
Members of The Pit Martial Arts and Fitness in Arroyo Grande will not face charges after armed gunmen were photographed on the gym’s roof in June as Black Lives Matter protesters march by.
In a news release on Tuesday, the Arroyo Grande Police Department said that, after review of additional evidence and reports from the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office, the department found there was “insufficient evidence to support filing criminal charges against the involved parties.”
The Pit owner John Hackleman came under scrutiny after several men were photographed on the roof of his Arroyo Grande gym wearing tactical vests and holding guns during a Five Cities protest march on June 5.
Hackleman told The Tribune in a June 6 interview that the people were there as “a visual deterrent” against violence, in light of the looting and vandalism reported at some protests in major U.S. cities. Hackleman characterized the protests as “riots” and said he was just protecting his business.
“The Pit’s a family gym, and we’re not a bunch of thugs, but we’re also not the people who are going to let you take our lunch money,” he said.
Several members of the public were outraged by Hackleman’s decision to have armed men on the roof while the protest happened nearby, but city officials said Hackleman’s actions were legal.
At the time, then-Arroyo Grande Police Chief Beau Pryor told The Tribune that the men with guns were on private property and were allowed to possess the weapons under the Second Amendment
In the weeks after the incident however, Pryor said the department had received new information and had opened an investigation into whether there was any wrongdoing.
It was not immediately clear why the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office was involved in the investigation.
Pryor has since retired and been replaced by new Police Chief Michael Martinez. Martinez did not immediately respond to a Tribune request for additional comment Tuesday evening.
This story was originally published September 8, 2020 at 4:43 PM.
CORRECTION: This story has been updated to clarify that it is members of The Pit gym who are not facing charges.
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