Maybe he'll say he was giving them instruction in philosophy, ethics and critical thinking

East Bay Times (Harry Harris and Joyce Tsai) reports:

A former Diablo Valley College professor was arrested Wednesday in connection with the use of a bike lock in the beating of three people [apparently Trump supporters] during a rally for President Donald Trump last month, police said Thursday.

Eric Clanton … was arrested on three counts of suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon that isn't a firearm and assault causing great bodily injury.

In a statement Thursday, police acknowledged that video of the incident, captured by onlookers and posted on social media, helped them identify Clanton as the suspect behind "several violent assaults" that happened April 15 during the demonstration at Civic Center Park on Martin Luther King Jr. Way.

Police confirmed Clanton can be seen in videos hitting people in the head with a U-shaped bicycle lock. Three people received "significant injuries" because of the beatings, police said. …

A former DVC staff directory on its web page said Clanton has worked at the school since 2015, teaching an "introduction to philosophy with a background in teaching ethics, critical thinking, and comparative philosophy East/West" with "primary research interests" of ethics and politics.

More at Berkeleyside (Emilie Raguso):

"His work in political philosophy … centers on mass incarceration and the prison system," his Diablo Valley faculty page entry read, though it has since been taken down. "He is currently exploring restorative justice from an anti-authoritarian perspective."

See also this CBS Local story.

Pro tip, since I'm offering them: Beating people on the head with metal objects because of their political beliefs is not anti-authoritarian.