A New York man was arrested during Wednesday night protests over Freddie Gray's death after he assaulted a woman while yelling, "White lives matter!" and other obscenities, according to the Gothamist.

A group of about 200 protesters were making their way through Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood when a man described as "intoxicated" accosted the crowd and began shouting.

"White lives matter! My life matters," he said, according to Gothamist editor Christopher Robbins. He then made this way towards women in the group and told them "they should be 'raped.' He seemed intoxicated."

The man's name was not released. He appeared to be middle aged with brown hair and was wearing jeans with a button-down shirt.

Betty Yu, who documented earlier protests with her camera, said the same man also told her, "I hope you get raped tonight!" Bystanders urged her to snap a picture of him but when she raised her camera, he lunged forward and shoved the lens in her face.

"He went for my nose and my viewing screen was cracked, and he knocked out my contact lens," the 37-year-old Hunter College student told the Gothamist. "I wish I could have clicked, but he was so forceful that when I had my finger on the shutter he literally took the lens and smashed it into my face."

The assault left Yu with a swollen nose and right eye. She immediately went in search of a police officer, one of about 15 escorting the group, but the cop was not inclined to help, she said.

It wasn't until dozens of witnesses called for his arrest that police took action. When Yu explained what happened, Lieutenant Cannizzaro, who later arrived on the scene, told her the man would be arrested.

The man was held in jail overnight, but the exact charges against him aren't clear. Yu said she doesn't want him to get away with assaulting her. 

"I'm definitely going to pursue this, because rape culture is not okay, telling a woman she should get raped is not okay, and punching me in the face with a camera is not okay."