NEW YORK, NY - Brianna J. Rivers, 30, was taken into police custody on Thursday after footage was released showing her sucker-punching an unsuspecting pro-life activist as she conducted a man-on-the-street style interview with the suspect.
The victim of the assault caught in the video, Savannah Craven Antao, was being filmed by her husband asking Rivers several questions on abortion and other related topics when the woman can be seen suddenly striking the 23-year-old in the face.
As reported by The New York Post, the video moments later shows the victim bloodied.
The video posted by Live Action to YouTube showed the women initially speaking cordially and laughing at the start of the eight-minute interaction. As the interview progressed, the conversation gradually became more adversarial.
The verbal disagreement reached a crescendo with Rivers telling Craven Antao, “You don’t understand the magnitude of having a child,” and the interviewer firing back “I’m not the one who admitted they would be OK with killing babies in foster care and killing children that have been abused.”
Rivers then begins to reply, “That’s not the point. What I’m saying is….,” stopping short to suddenly strike Craven Antao with a sucker-punch or clawing attack to the victim's left eye and a slap to the right side of her face.
WATCH:
According to the Post, Rivers could be heard on video fleeing the scene and screaming “Suck my d*ck,” at the victim’s husband.
Rivers is facing one count of second-degree assault, NYPD sources told the outlet.
In a post to Facebook, Rivers issued an apology of sorts, assigning the blame for the incident to Craven Antao and calling her an “antagonist, not a ‘reporter.’”
In full, she shared an image of a previous post saying, “I need a platform to share my side of events. She has 7 million views, making me out to be a child-killing monster when she knows the truth. She railroaded me into all of this. She needs to release the unedited footage with her relentless antagonization on a subject that is very touchy. I will not allow my image to be defamed by this woman's actions. Anyone who knows me knows how respectful I am, I don't even litter, there's no way you believe I'm punching people for disagreeing with my POV.”
In the caption, she continued, “To Savannah, I sincerely apologize but cannot sit around and allow you to continue pushing this one sided narrative. I understand hands being put on someone is never the answer, but throwing rocks and hiding hands is worse. She knows the truth and she needs to release the footage in its entirety. Savannah is a professional antagonist not a 'reporter' and the truth will be told.”
In a now-deleted GoFundMe (Archived) Campaign reported by the Post, Rivers went into additional detail writing, “I am Brianna Rivers. this past Thursday was asked to partake in an 'Interview' with Savannah Craven who unbeknownst to me was a Pro-life advocate . Our initial interaction was genuine and friendly until I stood in Support of planned parenthood's services.”
She continued casting blame on the Live Action reporter and her followers, “That's when her true motive shined through. She rage baited me and antagonized me anticipating a harsh reaction (which she is villainously known for). This viral moment has altered my life for the worst despite my being apologetic she has sent her supporters on a witch hunt to find me. I am receiving death threats, being Cyber bullied, threatened, and body shamed not only by her but her thousands of followers.
"These people have made my personal information public, I've had strangers come to my door step in regards to this incident and I am fearful for my safety and the safety of my family. I am seeking financial assistance to hire professional counsel (defense attorney) and bail if need be. I thank everyone who supports me through this extremely difficult time, I appreciate you all.”
According to the Post, the crowd-funding campaign had raised $8,695 toward its $20,000 goal before being taken down.
In a post to Instagram following Rivers’ arrest, Craven Antao wrote, “Just got word from detectives Brianna J Rivers was arrested! God is good!,” adding ”#BlueLivesMatter #JusticeIsServed #ThankYouGod.”
The victim of the assault caught in the video, Savannah Craven Antao, was being filmed by her husband asking Rivers several questions on abortion and other related topics when the woman can be seen suddenly striking the 23-year-old in the face.
As reported by The New York Post, the video moments later shows the victim bloodied.
The video posted by Live Action to YouTube showed the women initially speaking cordially and laughing at the start of the eight-minute interaction. As the interview progressed, the conversation gradually became more adversarial.
The verbal disagreement reached a crescendo with Rivers telling Craven Antao, “You don’t understand the magnitude of having a child,” and the interviewer firing back “I’m not the one who admitted they would be OK with killing babies in foster care and killing children that have been abused.”
BREAKING: Brianna Rivers, the woman who assaulted a pro-life activist, was just arrested. She faces one count of second-degree assault. pic.twitter.com/2hzrtKFzDT
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) April 11, 2025
Rivers then begins to reply, “That’s not the point. What I’m saying is….,” stopping short to suddenly strike Craven Antao with a sucker-punch or clawing attack to the victim's left eye and a slap to the right side of her face.
WATCH:
According to the Post, Rivers could be heard on video fleeing the scene and screaming “Suck my d*ck,” at the victim’s husband.
Rivers is facing one count of second-degree assault, NYPD sources told the outlet.
In a post to Facebook, Rivers issued an apology of sorts, assigning the blame for the incident to Craven Antao and calling her an “antagonist, not a ‘reporter.’”
In full, she shared an image of a previous post saying, “I need a platform to share my side of events. She has 7 million views, making me out to be a child-killing monster when she knows the truth. She railroaded me into all of this. She needs to release the unedited footage with her relentless antagonization on a subject that is very touchy. I will not allow my image to be defamed by this woman's actions. Anyone who knows me knows how respectful I am, I don't even litter, there's no way you believe I'm punching people for disagreeing with my POV.”
In the caption, she continued, “To Savannah, I sincerely apologize but cannot sit around and allow you to continue pushing this one sided narrative. I understand hands being put on someone is never the answer, but throwing rocks and hiding hands is worse. She knows the truth and she needs to release the footage in its entirety. Savannah is a professional antagonist not a 'reporter' and the truth will be told.”
In a now-deleted GoFundMe (Archived) Campaign reported by the Post, Rivers went into additional detail writing, “I am Brianna Rivers. this past Thursday was asked to partake in an 'Interview' with Savannah Craven who unbeknownst to me was a Pro-life advocate . Our initial interaction was genuine and friendly until I stood in Support of planned parenthood's services.”
She continued casting blame on the Live Action reporter and her followers, “That's when her true motive shined through. She rage baited me and antagonized me anticipating a harsh reaction (which she is villainously known for). This viral moment has altered my life for the worst despite my being apologetic she has sent her supporters on a witch hunt to find me. I am receiving death threats, being Cyber bullied, threatened, and body shamed not only by her but her thousands of followers.
"These people have made my personal information public, I've had strangers come to my door step in regards to this incident and I am fearful for my safety and the safety of my family. I am seeking financial assistance to hire professional counsel (defense attorney) and bail if need be. I thank everyone who supports me through this extremely difficult time, I appreciate you all.”
According to the Post, the crowd-funding campaign had raised $8,695 toward its $20,000 goal before being taken down.
In a post to Instagram following Rivers’ arrest, Craven Antao wrote, “Just got word from detectives Brianna J Rivers was arrested! God is good!,” adding ”#BlueLivesMatter #JusticeIsServed #ThankYouGod.”
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