A Costco shopper in Mountain View is suffering from vision loss after he was pepper sprayed during an altercation with a right-wing instigator/YouTuber from Southern California.

Richard Maza, 51, a YouTuber and self-proclaimed “First Amendment auditor” from Southern California is accused of creating a confrontation with a shopper at the Mountain View Costco on March 28 and then pepper-spraying him in his car, as the Mountain View Voice Reports. Mountain View police say they received at least four calls around 2 pm about the alleged assault.

Police believe Maza instigated the altercation for financial gain and internet views, as his YouTube channel, “Freedom of the Press,” is part of a network of right-wing content creators who post videos in which they provoke members of the public to lash out at them. This enables the group to claim self-defense and fight back, often using pepper spray, which gets triple the amount of views on YouTube, according to a police report by Mountain View officer Andrew Wong.

Wong wrote in the report that Maza’s videos show him routinely mocking his targets, which Wong said was behavior “not typical of victims who are truly defending themselves.”

“Maza and his group were not merely filming people; they were saying things in an attempt to get them angry by using personal attacks,” Wong wrote.

Canadian YouTuber Richard Troyan of “True North Transparency” and Conrad Rankin and his son Nick of iiMPACT MEDIA were also in attendance during the videos, as the group has reportedly been touring California.

The Voice reports that the incident potentially caused the victim permanent vision damage, and he intended to file a lawsuit. His attorney, Andrew Watters of Redwood City, is also suing Troyan over a similar incident Watters witnessed himself in Menlo Park the following day, according to the Almanac News. Additionally, a video of a different incident on the same day shows Troyan allegedly pepper-spraying a man at a separate location in Menlo Park.

“They’re goading people into being pepper-sprayed by them. You can’t provoke someone with what they call ‘fighting words’ and then be surprised when someone gets angry,” said Watters, per the Voice.

The victim told police he was loading groceries into his car when he asked the men why they were filming him, suggesting they “find something better to do,” which led to insults and mockery by the group. He then reportedly pretended to lunge or “flinch” at the group to get them to back off, which they allege was assault.

He told police he then got in the car and began to leave out of fear of being attacked, according to the Voice. The victim said Maza held his camera inside his vehicle as he drove away.

Video footage of the confrontation reportedly shows Maza chase the victim’s vehicle and wait until he's in view of the camera before he begins allegedly pepper-spraying him in the face, according to the police report.

“[The victim] was confined to his vehicle and made no gesture to suggest he was going to get out of his car. Had Maza felt legitimately threatened, he could have simply walked away in any direction,” wrote Officer Wong.

The victim reportedly sustained 80% vision loss for 10 days following the altercation and has been experiencing 40% vision loss since. Per the Voice, he was diagnosed with a corneal abrasion and prescribed antibiotics, and the impairment could be permanent. Damages in the lawsuit could exceed $1 million.

Mountain View police arrested Maza on charges of felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and felony use of tear gas. Police also found three canisters of pepper spray in his possession. His car was later impounded, and police are reportedly awaiting a warrant to search it for evidence.

According to the Voice, Maza was arraigned and released on April 2 and ordered to stay at least 50 yards away from the Mountain View Costco. His next hearing is scheduled for May 19 at the Santa Clara County Superior Court.

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