True.
I should have said :
He was holding the helmet in a way that drew the cops’ eyes towards it.
And then to play Devil’s advocate, I’ll suggest other possibilities:
Or he was holding the helmet that way because he thought the cop should be allowed to see what was in it. He is an old man who needs head protection when taking his daily walks to the senior center because the squirrels throw nuts at him.
Or he may be a Salvation Army volunteer who lost his kettle to looters and decided to bring his trusty biker’s helmet instead to hold it high, in hopes of getting a donation from those busy cops and catch the eye of that hot biker chick just off camera.
Or he thought one of the cops had dropped the helmet and wanted to return it to the rightful owner, if only he could wade right in to the formation and catch the owner’s attention.
He was insecure and afraid the peaceful protesters would steal his helmet off his bike so he was carrying it and his cell phone with him to the place on the sidewalk where police were the thickest.