A California woman was arrested after she threw menstrual blood on state senators during a Senate hearing in Sacramento on Friday, reports said.
Rebecca Dalelio, 43, was taken into custody after she tossed a menstrual cup, which she said was filled with blood, from the public gallery as senators finished taking a vote at about 5:14 p.m.
State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-CA) tweeted about the incident on Friday evening.
“These anti-vaxxers are engaging in criminal behavior,” he wrote in another tweet the same day. “They’ve now repeatedly assaulted Senators & are engaging in harassing & intimidating behavior every single day, as we try to do the people’s work. They’re a cancer on the body politic & are attacking democracy,” Wiener concluded.
In video footage of the hearing, a woman’s voice can be heard shouting “That’s for the dead babies” at the 43:14 mark. Several lawmakers were hit by the red substance, forcing Senate leadership to move the hearing into a smaller meeting room.
Dalelio, an anti-vaccine demostrator, was reportedly protesting a new state law that would stifle fraudulent medical exemptions for vaccinations.
TMZ reported:
The protest follows two California bills that were signed into law Monday by Governor Gavin Newsom, which will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2020 … and are meant to tighten regulations around doctors who write notes to exempt certain kids from vaccines at school. If the doctors issue more than 5 exemptions in a year, public health officials can review the passes. Schools that fall below a certain level of vaccination rate are also subject to scrutiny.
Following the incident, Dalelio exited the gallery but did not resist when authorities proceeded to arrest her. Outside the Senate, the video shows a woman who appears to be Dalelio as she continues her rant.
“And those babies’ blood is on your hands, California state senate and assemblymembers. Their blood is on your hands. My blood is on the floor of the Senate. Their blood is on your hands and we will be heard,” she says.
Once the Senate chamber was evacuated, California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers opened an investigation into the incident and placed crime scene tape around the area. CHP said they detained Dalelio on six charges after she allegedly “threw a feminine hygiene device containing what appeared to be blood onto the Senate floor.”
Democrat Sen. Steve Glazer told reporters that the liquid landed on his head, adding “I’m going to take a shower. We have work to do.”
Reports said Dalelio faces charges of suspicion of felony vandalism, misdemeanor battery and four additional counts related to disrupting official state business at the Capitol.
However, Dalelio posted $10,000 bond and was released from the Sacramento County Main Jail on Saturday morning, the Sacramento Bee reported.