Trial Begins for Man Accused of Stun Gun Threats at Berkeley Protest

Though Ricardo Gonzalez Ruiz has made generic techno music under the stage name DJ Occult and operated an electric bicycle repair business, during 2025 he became best known for making a nuisance of himself in Berkeley, California. A diminutive but devoted Trump supporter, he regularly showed up at protests against the Trump regime to counter-demonstrate in a hostile and antagonistic manner, circling the crowd on his electric bike, occasionally nearly striking people, and blasting pro-Trump music at top volume. 

In mid-February 2025, he was arrested in Berkeley after using pepper spray during a demonstration at BART plaza in downtown Berkeley, though the District Attorney declined to prosecute the case. The following month, on Saturday, 22 March, he was arrested at a protest outside Berkeley’s Fourth Street Tesla dealership during a demonstration against Elon Musk’s nefarious influence over the U.S. government after he threatened protesters with a stun device. He was charged with assault and brandishing a deadly weapon other than a firearm.

When prosecutor Lily Sinclair made her opening statements on 4 February 2026, she related that Ruiz “inserted himself into a peaceful protest, not to participate but to disrupt;” that James Richardson, one of the protesters Ruiz threatened with the stun gun, had observed him behaving in an antagonistic manner at a demonstration at the Tesla dealership one week prior to the incident, and that Susan Kegeles, an elderly woman who was also threatened by Ruiz, “feared for her safety and for her life,” and fought back against Ruiz in self-defense. 

Afterward, public defender Amber Vincent asserted that Ruiz was defending himself from “unlawful touching” as he navigated an open street in a busy commercial area during the middle of the day. She also stated that he was counter-protesting as the only person at that demonstration with a minority opinion, and whereas he didn't actually injure anyone, Richardson and Kegeles were blocking his path, rendering him unable to escape. 

Indeed, the bodycam footage obtained from one of the arresting officers shows Ruiz claiming that he was acting in self-defense after being attacked. However, in the witness box, Susan Kegeles testified that Ruiz's demeanor was hostile and that he was unwilling to engage in a reasonable discussion with anyone at the protest. Furthermore, video footage published at Berkeleyside.org clearly shows Kegeles grabbing Ruiz's hair after he activated the stun gun. After that, Richardson restrains him in a brief shoulder-lock before police move in to make the arrest.

Kegeles then related that she stepped back after the device was pointed at her and activated as Ruiz said, “Take that,” and said she was “startled by the sparks and bzzzing (sic) sound.” She also stated on the record that had she made contact with the stun device, she could have fallen, and possibly suffered a fatal head injury. 

According to information posted on BlingSting.com, a website that sells self-defense equipment for women, it is extremely rare for a person to die from being shocked with a stun gun, because stun guns have very high voltage but very low amps but that people with pre-existing heart conditions are at a higher risk for suffering arrhythmia that can lead to fatal cardiac arrest, citing a report from a cardiologist at Indiana University. In addition, a study published by the National Library of Medicine concludes that the loss of motor skills from a stun device’s electric shock poses a rare but real risk of suffering a traumatic or fatal brain injury due to a fall.

When Attorney Vincent asked Kegeles during cross-examination if she grabbed Ruiz's hair from behind, she stated that she reached across. Indeed, the Berkeleyside footage shows her reaching sideways and to the right to grab Ruiz after taking a step back from the sparking stun gun. 

When James Richardson took the stand, he offered his observation that Ruiz was behaving childishly and was amused that he was annoying the crowd of protesters. He also stated that he stood in Ruiz's path in order to annoy him into leaving, at which point, Ruiz intentionally rammed into him, then turned back around, blasting pro-Trump music as he continued to ride back and forth. According to Richardson, a crowd of people then encircled him, yelling at him to leave, at which point he got out the stun device and activated it, holding it a mere two or three inches from people's faces.

When Attorney Vincent cross-examined Richardson, she insinuated that he intentionally stood in Ruiz’s path immediately prior to the latter ramming him with his bicycle. However, according to Richarson’s testimony on the record, during his encounter with Ruiz, he made no threats nor carried any weapons on his person, and was only trying to drive him off using a stern tone of voice. 

The California State Penal Code states that simple assault, a misdemeanor, is punishable by up to six months in county jail, a fine of up to $1,000, or both, and the misdemeanor of brandishing a deadly weapon other than a firearm carries a penalty of imprisonment for 30 to 364 days in county jail, a fine of up to $1,000 or both. Meanwhile, Ricardo Ruiz is also facing more serious charges stemming from a separate case in which he engaged Berkeley Police in an armed standoff for nearly an hour during a domestic violence call on 13 April 2025.