‘Antifa Soldier’ Testifies in PB Riot Trial: Jurors Get Black-and-White Portrayals

Jeremy White wore an elegant black suit, including black shirt and tie, as he took the witness stand Monday, beginning 7 hours of testimony in his assault and conspiracy-to-riot trial.

But by the time he left the box Tuesday — this time in a blue coat — jurors in downtown Superior Court were intimately familiar with his alter egos’ dress as “Antifa Soldier” and “street medic.”

Like O.J. Simpson in his 1995 murder trial, White was asked to don gloves — albeit a padded kind. But White also strapped on other “personal protection equipment” including flak vest, gas mask, helmet and goggles.

Items that supposedly indict him as a frightening presence.

Jeremy Jonathan White, 41, and fellow Angeleno Brian Cortez Lightfoot Jr., 27, were the lone defendants of 11 originally charged in the Jan. 9, 2021, series of brawls at a right-wing Patriots March in Pacific Beach.

The rest pleaded guilty to lesser charges for shorter prison sentences. Lightfoot was still uncertain about taking the stand Wednesday in a nationally watched case that could end with closing arguments Monday.

A 9-woman, 3-man jury was taken on a roller-coaster ride of evidence.

A long video clip shown by White’s pro bono attorney, Curtis Briggs, depicted his client taking part in a casual stroll. The veteran protester testified that the “First Amendment march” was “overwhelmingly nonviolent” with a “beautiful” and “chill” vibe on a gorgeous breezy day.

But police bodycam, social media and aerial footage shown by a prosecution team led by Makenzie Harvey was intended to give jurors more chills than thrills.

• Audio: April 15 discussion before jurors come in
• Audio: April 15 testimony of Detective Emily Clark
• Audio: More April 15 testimony from Emily Clark
• Audio: April 15 discussion outside jury’s presence
• Audio: April 15 start to Jeremy White’s testimony
• Audio: Judge’s April 15 stern words to lawyer Curtis Briggs
• Audio: More April 15 testimony from Jeremy White

Harvey repeatedly grilled White about videos she said showed him pepper-spraying several people and a leashed Rottweiler whose owner approached him on the PB boardwalk.

White said he sprayed the dog in self-defense, and even suggested he saved its life by averting an incident in which the canine would get hurt and have to “be put down.”

White denied using Bear Mace on people or pointing at a bike-riding videographer named Ryan Luke in a signal for other anti-fascists to attack. Instead, White repeatedly insisted he was calling attention to “something alarming” down an alley and alerting a megaphone-carrying compatriot.

Luke would later be seen brandishing a large knife.

“This guy looked like he was about to murder somebody,” White said.

And with his vision constricted “15-20 degrees” on either side by his helmet, White said there was “no way” he had been pointing at Luke.

But when asked later if attacks on Luke were justified, White said: “Not at all.”

(Hours later, prosecutor Will Hopkins said of Luke: “Thank God he pulled that knife,” hinting it was in self-defense.)

During questioning, White was calm and composed, his deep-toned voice neither rising nor defensive. But Judge Daniel Goldstein rebuked him more than a few times for “nonresponsive” remarks — failing to address queries — or taking “narrative” detours.

• Audio: Jeremy White testimony on April 16 begins
• Audio: April 16 cross-examination of Jeremy White
• Audio: More April 16 cross-examination of White
• Audio: More April 16 cross-examination of White
• Audio: Final direct examination of Jeremy White
• Audio: Friends of Jeremy White as character witnesses
• Audio: Judge, lawyers discuss issues after jury departs

White’s attorney spent much of his time countering issues raised by San Diego police Detective Emily Clark, who took a crash course on antifa and analyzed 200,000 pages of social media content, dozens of hours of video and terabytes of data.

Clark, testifying over several days ending Monday, said White “activated” his Taser. White said he never used the Taser function of his flashlight.

Prosecutor Harvey said the antifa marchers chanted “Kill all Nazis.” White said he was shocked by that chant and didn’t join in.

After White described extensive training as a “street medic” who took to carrying a first-aid kit, including saline solution to combat gassing effects, he said his other aim was to “de-escalate” tensions.

One involved professional photographer John Cocozza, among seven alleged victims who testified earlier. Contrary to prosecution accounts, White said he was trying to calm Cocozza as the agitated man reacted angrily to black-clad counterprotestors he was capturing on his cell phone.

Prosecutors screened many clips of clashes that didn’t include White, who said he merely witnessed “very ugly” confrontations. He denied Harvey’s contention he was there as a group leader or “enforcer.”

As evidence of conspiracy, Harvey focused on the fact White drove down from L.A. with fellow defendant Lightfoot and a videographer driver. White said he barely knew Lightfoot, who spoke little on the trip.

‘SD Fash Bash’

The deputy district attorney also displayed social media posts and Signal chats after the Jan. 9 melees in which White appeared to celebrate antifa violence. (“Yeah, we fucked his shit up,” posted White as ACAB Man. Another showed ACAB Man as an administrator of “SD Fash Bash.” And one chat hailed him: “The Antifa Soldier came through.”)

Harvey showed video of an incident in which a woman’s cell phone kept recording as it was smashed underfoot by several antifa marchers. White was depicted as one of the phone-stompers.

He said he accidentally stepped on the phone while dispersing others — his view limited by the helmet.

But Harvey also seemed to be stretching when she showed the jury photos of White wearing a fake guillotine and owning a shield with a guillotine and the legend “Fuck around and find out.”

White said those items were movie props or references to songs, since he works as a set builder and graphic artist in Hollywood.

He told how he came to be known as “Antifa Soldier.” A Proud Boy labeled White as “Antifa Super Soldier” so he decided to adopt it himself.

“I thought it was hilarious,” White said.

And he said it was “quite an honor” that people gave him the name ACAB Man (for All Cops Are Bastards), although he said: “I’ve known many fine human beings who were police officers.”

One, he said, was an LAPD sergeant he dealt with in securing permits for protests. (A “wonderful relationship,” he said.) The sergeant even invited White to his retirement party. (White couldn’t make it.)

White couldn’t say how he learned of the Pacific Beach Patriot March, except that he heard streets medics were needed. He denied seeing inflammatory graphics on social media such as one saying: “Fuck the Fash” and listing the PB Pier for a counterprotest Jan. 9.

‘New Civil War’

Three days earlier — the day of the Capitol insurrection — White said he was drawn to a right-wing rally near L.A. City Hall when, via social media, he saw “an attempted lynching of a black woman.”

Someone had snatched her wig, White told an attentive jury that included several African Americans.

He said her assailants boasted of the “first scalping of the new civil war.”

White said: “I saw that as a declaration of war.”

Despite recently getting over a bout with COVID, White was “out the door pretty quickly” with his first-aid kit. He headed to the scene.

Harvey showed video of White joining in an attack that day — kicking someone on the street. White said the man being beaten had illegally used a flagpole as a weapon and was later arrested.

“I actually talked to the cops about what happened,” he said.

Attorney Briggs called two friends of White to the stand — neighbor Andy Alvarado and book-club friend Julia Richardson. They were questioned for 3 and 5 minutes, respectively.

Briggs asked each 3-year acquaintance whether White was honest and peaceful. Both said yes to each — even as prosecutor Harvey told Richardson that White “prominently displayed” decapitated heads of Proud Boys while playing the Minecraft video game.

After the jury was sent home Tuesday, Judge Goldstein asked lawyer Briggs if he wanted to drop White’s insanity defense based on White’s tenor on the stand.

Briggs said it was likely White would drop that plea, previously suggested by a psychiatrist who found White had “disassociated” during the January 2021 riot.

Then Briggs argued that Goldstein should drop charges against White, especially the conspiracy count. Goldstein rejected that bid.

On the way downstairs afterward, Briggs told Times of San Diego he made that motion, under state Penal Code section 1118.1, to secure chances for any appeal.

“I’ve never believed this [case] was going to get thrown out by the judge,” he said.