Gay Dad Won’t Face Charges for Punching Right-Wing Influencer
David Vulin completed a diversion agreement after an encounter in which Ryley Niemi confronted him with anti-gay claims about child abuse.
A gay father in West Hollywood who punched a right-wing influencer who accused him — and gay men in general — of abusing and sexually molesting children will not be charged for his outburst.
David Vulin, 32, has completed the terms of a “pre-filing diversion” agreement with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, the Los Angeles Times reported. Video of the April incident has circulated on social media — particularly among right-wing accounts.
Vulin’s attorney, R.J. Dreiling, told the Times he could not discuss the agreement’s terms. He said a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge agreed on October 22 to seal all records of Vulin’s arrest.
Vulin was walking with his husband, Anthony, and their infant son, Ante, when Temecula-based conservative streamer Ryley Niemi approached them on Santa Monica Boulevard. Vulin said Niemi — whose videos focus on antagonizing liberals and mocking LGBTQ culture — claimed to be a CNN reporter and wanted to conduct an interview.
“Have you ever heard about the statistics coming out that gay men are much more likely to commit child molestation?” Niemi asked the couple, who called the claim “crazy.”
After further questions about their child and whether they had used a surrogate, the Vulins began walking away. David Vulin yelled at Niemi and threatened to “kick [his] ass” before shoving him. The edited video shared by Niemi includes footage of a subsequent altercation in which Vulin strikes him in the head.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department arrested Vulin on suspicion of battery and vandalism. Niemi said he suffered a concussion and that one of his cameras was broken.
The Vulins received support from West Hollywood residents and the LGBTQ community, with city officials characterizing Niemi as the aggressor and urging Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman not to file charges.
A spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office confirmed to the Times that criminal charges would not be filed.
When the newspaper informed Niemi of the decision, he said, “This wasn’t a normal battery. I walked away 500 feet. He hit me in the back of the head and gave me a concussion.”
Niemi said he may still pursue a civil lawsuit against the Vulins. He also said he had posed the same question about gay men and child abuse to several other interview subjects that day and that none reacted violently.
“If they said something to me about how being conservative is bad, and I punched them, I really don’t think I’d get off the hook for that,” Niemi told the Times, adding that he asked the question about abuse only “because they brought their baby out to the gay clubs at 9 p.m.”
In a statement reported by the Times, the Vulins said they were relieved that the district attorney’s office would not file criminal charges but disappointed that “the person who provoked this encounter with hate speech then filmed and monetized it, faces no consequences.”
“But we’re determined to turn this into something meaningful,” the couple said. “Anthony is working with state legislators on a bill to hold rage-bait creators accountable for the harm they cause.”
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