A West Hollywood street interview detonated into a physical brawl, a felony arrest, and a coast-to-coast argument over where free speech ends and provocation begins — and the footage is still spreading.
Conservative influencer Ryley Niemi, 21, and his production outfit “Off The Record USA” approached David and Anthony Vullin on April 16 as the couple strolled along Santa Monica Boulevard with their newborn in arms.
Three members of Niemi’s four-man crew carried cameras. A fourth wore a suit and carried a microphone. The group told the couple they were from CNN.
What followed started cordially. Niemi opened by asking whether the baby was theirs, whether they were partners, and the child’s sex. Then the questions took a sharp turn.
Niemi asked the couple whether they had heard that “gay men are statistically much more likely to commit child molestation.” He followed by asking whether the two men had paid $50,000 to a surrogate to carry their child.
David Vullin responded with his fists. He struck Niemi several times in the back of the head and drove him into the camera equipment. The confrontation did not stop there.
Minutes later, after Niemi’s group had moved down the block, the couple and others caught up with them. When Niemi voiced concern about the baby’s safety, David moved in and struck him in the back of the head again multiple times, according to video of the incident.
Booking records from the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station confirm David Vullin was arrested and charged with a felony — “vandalism with loss valued equal or greater than $400” — tied to allegations that he damaged camera equipment belonging to Niemi’s crew. He was later released.
The Vullins dispute the camera damage allegation entirely. Their attorney framed the arrest as a miscarriage of justice.
“David Vullin did what any father would do and protected his family,” the lawyer said. “The wrong person spent the night in jail.”
Niemi’s team launched a GoFundMe stating: “What started as a routine interaction quickly escalated into a violent encounter.” The campaign adds that “over a dozen emergency responders arrived at the scene” and that a Sony A7C II camera was destroyed.
The fundraiser targets $25,000 for equipment and security costs.
“We are currently taking the appropriate steps to pursue justice through the proper legal channels,” the GoFundMe message states.
The Vullins, however, took their case to CNN, accusing Niemi of manufacturing outrage for profit. “When someone inserts themself into a specific community with the intention of triggering people, it’s not freedom of expression. It’s exploitation,” David Vullin told the network.
The couple extended the blame beyond Niemi himself, pointing at the online ecosystem that pays creators to provoke. “This is about large platforms telling youthful audiences what works, and not being held accountable,” David Vullin said.
Niemi did not deny that controversy converts to cash. “The rate at which my social media is growing, I could easily live off it, in probably four or five months,” he told CNN, while maintaining his motivations are primarily political.
Niemi, who is based in Temecula, regularly produces content targeting the LGBTQ+ community. His catalog includes a clip asking strangers whether the U.S. government should “deport” transgender people to Venezuela, and footage of him confronting a transgender woman in Santa Monica.
West Hollywood Vice Mayor Danny Hang called the incident deliberate provocation and said the city would likely ask Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman not to pursue charges against David Vullin.
“What happened to him was unjust. These trolls came to our city and disrupted our way of life and they attacked him for clickbait purposes,” Hang said.
A separate GoFundMe launched to cover the Vullins’ legal defense pulled in more than $180,000. Niemi’s campaign collected $1,840. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office has not yet received the case for formal charging.
