Social Distortion’s Mike Ness Investigated for Allegedly Punching Pro-Trump Fan

Mike Ness, frontman of California punk band Social Distortion, has been accused of punching a live performance attendee at a July present, as The New York Times notes. A person named Tim Hildebrand stated the incident occurred on July 19 at Sacramento’s Ace of Spades. In an interview with Sacramento’s CBS13, which aired yesterday (August 15), Hildebrand claimed that Ness informed the gang about “how horrible and racist America is, how everyone in America is racist,” and that Ness referred to as President Donald Trump “a bigot and racist.”

Hildebrand informed CBS13 that, in response, he stated aloud on the live performance, “I paid for your music, not your politics,” and held up his center finger by way of a number of songs. During the band’s encore, in keeping with Hildebrand, Ness seen him within the crowd, pointed at him, cursed at him, and allegedly spit on him, earlier than Ness allegedly “punched him multiple times in the head.” Hildebrand stated that he suffered a concussion, acquired two black eyes and a “busted lip,” and that he practically misplaced a tooth. He additionally claimed that he couldn’t combat again as a result of different concertgoers had been “holding [him] back.”

Video from the live performance, which surfaced online earlier this month, exhibits Ness eradicating his guitar and leaping into the gang earlier than returning to the stage. The Sacramento Police Department is “aware of the allegations” and investigating the incident, in keeping with The Times and CBS13. Pitchfork has reached out to representatives for Social Distortion.

Mike Ness has criticized Donald Trump throughout previous Social Distortion live shows. At a 2017 show, he informed the gang, “I think the president should be a humanitarian. And I think a president should care about his country, but the rest of the world, as well.” He continued, “I don’t think he’s a good president. I don’t think he even knows what the fuck he’s doing.” He additionally referred to as Trump “a racist” throughout the live performance.