Internet up in arms over ‘kidnapped’ Baltimore protester

UPDATE, 4/30/15 10:00 a.m.: 

Baltimore attorney Stephen Beatty tweeted this morning that his client Joseph Kent is “a free man.” Kent was held at the Baltimore Central Booking and Intake Center since his controversial arrest on Tuesday night.

#JosephKent IS A FREE MAN! MORE TO FOLLOW!

— The Big Acquittal (@BeattyLaw) April 30, 2015

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“Where is Joseph Kent?” is a refrain being heard all across the Web this morning, after a prominent activist was seemingly plucked off the streets of Baltimore by law enforcement officials last night in full view of CNN’s cameras.

The incident involving the 21-year-old Morgan State University student occurred shortly after curfew went into effect and was caught on camera by CNN’s Chris Cuomo and his crew. 

{mosads}”They ran out and grabbed him … and then arrested him,” Cuomo told his viewers after a National Guard Humvee stormed the scene, and a group of Baltimore Police officers seized Kent, who was in the process of telling residents to “disperse.”

Hundreds of individuals who witnessed the so-called “blackbagging” from home immediately began sharing footage of Kent’s apprehension. “Must see VIDEO — Protester #JosephKent kidnapped by police,” tweeted influential hip hop artist Talib Kweli, who urged his followers to “stay awake.”

The whereabouts of Kent — who was a prominent figure in the Ferguson protests of last year — remained unknown until earlier this morning, when Baltimore attorney Stephen Beatty tweeted that the young protester was at the Baltimore Central Booking and Intake Center “awaiting processing,” and was reportedly “ok and safe.” Beatty blamed the confusion on the “large numbers of arrests.”

Another local activist, Lamont Lilly, provided support for this claim, when he tweeted that Kent “was processed late last night at CBIF” and was scheduled for a radio interview later in the day.

#JosephKent IS ok. He was processed late last night at CBIF. Just 8:00am, exhausted already. Scheduled interview w/ #PacificaRadio @ 9:45am.

— Lamont Lilly (@LamontLilly) April 29, 2015

Meanwhile, the hashtag #JosephKent remains a top trending topic on Twitter.