Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the Proud Boys, was arrested outside the US Capitol on Friday following accusations he assaulted a female protester, according to multiple media reports.
Tarrio, who had previously received clemency from US President Donald Trump, was arrested along with several other Proud Boys and Oath Keepers who were holding a press conference at the Capitol, NBC News reported.
Capitol Police said in a statement following the arrest that the incident happened around 2:30 p.m. ET when “our officers witnessed a woman put a cell phone close to a man’s face” while they were both walking. “Then the officers witnessed the man strike the woman’s phone and arm,” the statement said.
The press conference was attended by a number of protesters who accused the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers of being “Fascists” and “Nazis,” according to the Independent.
Tarrio told onlookers that “a lady stuck her phone in my face so I [inaudible] her phone,” according to NBC News.
“We gather at the base of the Capitol building where peaceful protesters were fired upon,” Tarrio told reporters before his arrest. “We will not allow the government to rewrite history. We will not allow them to control the narrative.”
Tarrio also announced the group was considering suing the Justice Department for $150 million.
Enrique Tarrio’s history with the police
Tarrio was arrested and sentenced to 22 years imprisonment for his role in the January 6, 2021, Capitol Riots. Trump pardoned Tarrio in January.
Tarrio had been convicted of seditious conspiracy for his role in planning the Capitol riot that sought to stop Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s defeat of Trump in an election Trump falsely claimed was tainted by widespread fraud.
Tarrio’s lawyers said his absence from Washington on Jan. 6, the result of another judge’s earlier order, meant that he had no “direct influence” on the riot.
But in imposing the sentence, the judge said: “Mr. Tarrio was the ultimate leader of that conspiracy. Mr. Tarrio was the ultimate leader, the ultimate person who organized, who was motivated by revolutionary zeal.”
More than 1,100 people have been arrested on charges related to the Capitol assault. At least 630 have pleaded guilty, and at least 110 have been convicted at trial.
Five people, including a police officer, died during or shortly after the riot, and more than 140 police officers were injured. Damage to the Capitol was in the millions of dollars.
In 2021, Tarrio was also sentenced to 155 days in jail for burning a Black Lives Matter flag and possessing a large-capacity ammunition magazine.
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