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Patriot Prayer Leader Pepper-Sprayed, Detained At Berkeley Rally

BERKELEY (CBS SF) -- Joey Gibson, the founder of right-wing activist group Patriot Prayer showed up in Berkeley on Sunday and soon found himself being chased by Antifa counter-protesters armed with pepper spray.

ALSO READ: Violence Mars Huge Berkeley Rally

Black-clad protesters wore hoods to conceal their identities as they advanced on Gibson at Sunday's rally in Berkeley. As Gibson backed away, with his hands in the air, the protesters pepper-sprayed him.

In a video posted by a Berkeley journalist, Gibson is seen retreating down a street along with another man in shoulder pads who appeared to be his bodyguard.

A short time later, police detained Gibson and that second man. Video posted to Twitter showed them in handcuffs and the Los Angeles Times reported Gibson charged officers.

But police told the San Francisco Chronicle this was actually a rescue to protect the two men from the group that was pursuing them.

According to the Chronicle, neither man was arrested.

Gibson had organized a rally for Saturday at Crissy Field in San Francisco but he canceled it, citing fears of violence.

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