A recent meeting between a freshman Republican congressman from California and his constituents took an unexpected turn when Rep Steve Knight was caught on camera threatening an anti-immigration protester with violence . Knight , 48 , a former Los Angeles police officer who was elected to represent the 25th Congressional District last year , was hosting an open house event at his Simi Valley office last Friday when he was accosted by a group of activists rallying against amnesty for undocumented immigrants . The heated exchange between Knight and the group of protesters carrying anti-immigration signs was captured on video and later uploaded onto YouTube by a right-wing group called We The People Rising . Ambush : Rep Steve Knight ( left ) was accosted by activists rallying against amnesty for illegal immigrants outside his Simi Valley , California , office during an open house last Friday . Crossing a line : A man named 'Mike ' ( right ) accused Knight of lying about his voting record and patted him on the back after a prolonged handshake . Tempers flare : Knight , a former LAPD officer , went after Mike , telling him , 'If you touch me again , I 'll drop your a** ' Defense : Knight went on to explain to the activists that he never voted in support of ‘ amnesty ’ for immigrants . In the 2-minute clip , Knight is approached by a man who introduces himself as 'Mike ' and proceeds to shake the lawmaker 's hand at lenght . During the awkward encounter , Mike informs Knight : 'You told me you did n't vote for amnesty and you did . I looked it up on the Internet . You lied to me . ' Voting record : Knight was one of 75 House Republicans who voted to pass a bill funding the Department of Homeland Security after it had been stripped off provisions blocking Obama 's immigration reform . The protester then gives Knight a pat on the back and tries to walk away , but the lawmaker calls after him , grasps his upper arm and says : 'If you touch me again , I 'll drop your a** . ' Following the foul-mouthed remark , the former cop-turned-lawmaker goes on to explain to the activists that he never voted in support of ‘ amnesty ’ for immigrants , saying there were several versions of the same bill , known as HB 240 , and he voted for the one that did not have the provisions supporting President Obama ’ s immigration reform . The bill that sparked the verbal spat outside Knight ’ s office was the subject of a protracted legislative tug-of-war between Democrats and Republicans in Congress two months ago . Right-wing lawmakers originally had inserted amendments into a bill providing nearly $ 40million in funding for the Department of Homeland Security to block President Obama 's immigration reforms . After Senate Democrats successfully blocked the bill , 75 House Republicans , including Knight , gave in to prevent a shutdown and passed a ‘ clean ’ bill stripped off all provisions seeking to obstruct Obama ’ s executive orders on immigration , and thus lifting the threat of deportation against millions of undocumented immigrants . In the videotaped conversation with the protesters Friday , Knight insisted he never voted to support Obama 's immigration reform . Knight , a US Army veteran , was elected to the US House of Representatives last November . House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio administers a ceremonial re-enactment of the House oath-of-office to Rep. Steve Knight R-Calif. , accompanied by his his wife Lily Knight and family , January 6 , 2015 , on Capitol Hill . ‘ I never voted for amnesty . Never , ever , ’ he said . Knight , a US Army veteran and married father of two , spent 18 years on the LAPD force before being elected to the California State Assembly in 2008 . Two years later , he became a state senator and in 2014 was elected to the US House of Representatives . Following the release of the video , Knight put out a statement Tuesday apologizing for his conduct . ‘ I have dealt with this group on several occasions and every time they try to escalate our conversations to a level that is not constructive , ’ Knight said . ‘ Over this past weekend , I lost my cool and I regret responding the way I did. ’ The group that staged Friday ’ s protest , Save Our State , has been accused of having ties to white supremacists , reported Politico . In 2010 , Save Our State organized a demonstration in California during which a local city councilman sparked an outrage by referring to himself as a ‘ proud racist. ’ Mea culpa : Following the release of the video , Knight ( pictured with his wife and two sons ) put out a statement Tuesday apologizing for his conduct .
Rep Steve Knight representing 25th Congressional District in California was confronted by activists from right-wing group Friday . Protesters accused Knight of voting for immigrant 'amnesty ' during congressional battle over Homeland Security funding bill . Knight was one of 75 Save Our State Republicans who eventually voted on 'clean ' funding bill devoid of provisions blocking Obama 's immigration reform . House group that accosted Knight has been linked to white supremacists .