UT Dallas Conservative Student Group Assaulted by Biker, Video Shows

An individual was arrested Tuesday and charged with four felonies after using a bike lock to assault a group of students associated with the University of Texas at Dallas chapter of Turning Point USA, a conservative organization with hundreds of branches on college campuses across the United States.

Liam Thanh Tam Nguyen is being held at the Collin County Jail and has been charged with two felony counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, one count of attempting to take a weapon from an officer and one count of assault of a peace officer. Nguyen was also charged with three misdemeanors: resisting arrest and two counts of criminal mischief. A bail amount has not been set.

Nguyen does not appear to have an attorney at this time. According to Collin County Jail records, Nguyen listed “Alyssa” as their preferred name, and video of the campus assault shows the individual is female-presenting.

When asked if Nguyen is a UTD student, a spokesperson for the school would not say. Instead, the spokesperson confirmed that the incident occurred on campus and also confirmed the charges the suspect faces.

A video of the assault was published to X by Charlie Kirk, the far-right leader of Turning Point USA’s national organization, and has received 3.6 million views. According to the Anti-Defamation League, Turning Point USA supports far-right policies and talking points, like those that disenfranchise the transgender community or support Christian Nationalism.

UT Dallas’ Turning Point USA chapter posted to Instagram yesterday that students would be "tabling" — setting up a tent and table to pass out stickers or meet with prospective students looking to join the organization — throughout the midday hours outside of the UT Dallas student union.

Kirk’s video starts amidst the conflict, beginning with Nguyen holding up a bicycle and swinging a large lock at the group. The video shows the lock making contact with the phone, which is recorded as students yell at Nguyen to “back up” and “go.”

A second video shows Nguyen riding away from the scene, and the UT Dallas Police Department did not respond to the Observer’s inquiry about when and where authorities apprehended Nguyen.

Users on the UT Dallas Reddit page seem divided over Nguyen’s reaction to the group.

“What this person did was wrong, no doubt about it. But I also wish the university would stop allowing organizations who use disinformation to table on campus,” one Redditor posted. “I think it’s good to be exposed to other political points of view, but Turning Point is not it.”

Responding to a commenter calling the Turning Point USA chapter a group of “freaks,” another person said, “Everybody at UTD is a freak. Doesn't mean they deserve to be hit over the head with a bike lock.”

Far-right internet personalities have speculated that Nguyen was also responsible for disrupting another Turning Point USA event that hosted Dallas’ own conservative troll, Alex Stein, earlier this month. Stein is known for setting up cameras and microphones on university campuses to record debates on conservative ideals with students. Video from the March 6 disruption shows an individual riding a bike similar to the one pictured in the most recent incident kicking over Stein’s microphone.