Pompano Man Linked to Proud Boys Arrested on Jan. 6 Riot Charges

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Pompano Man Linked to Proud Boys Arrested on Jan. 6 Riot Charges


A South Florida man related to the far-right Proud Boys has been arrested for allegedly assaulting a number of officers whereas storming the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Nearly two years after a lot of others linked to the Proud Boys have been first nabbed for taking part within the lethal rebel on the Capitol, Kenneth Bonawitz — AKA #MAGAMarlin — was arrested in late January for his alleged function within the assault. The FBI says the 57-year-old Pompano Beach man was among the many first rioters to interrupt by way of a Capitol Police barricade on the west finish of the constructing earlier than he assaulted a handful of legislation enforcement officers whereas carrying a sheathed knife on his belt.

Bonawitz faces eight federal fees, together with assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers and inflicting bodily harm, civil dysfunction, and coming into and remaining in a restricted constructing or grounds with a lethal or harmful weapon.

Bonawitz is being held on the Broward County Main Jail in downtown Fort Lauderdale below a maintain by the U.S. Marshals.

Sporting a grey t-shirt with the phrases “Getcha some freedom,” a pink MAGA hat, and a black leather-based jacket,  Bonawitz was captured on a number of Capitol Police officers’ body-worn cameras all through the afternoon on January 6, 2021, in response to an FBI affidavit (hooked up on the backside of this story).

At round 2:30 p.m., shortly after Capitol Police referred to as upon the D.C. National Guard for backup with the unfolding state of affairs, Bonawitz, a heavyset bald man, was captured operating and leaping onto a stage constructed for President Joe Biden’s then-upcoming inauguration. He then hurled himself onto two cops, tackling them to the bottom, the FBI alleges. One officer was left with shoulder and neck accidents.

Shortly after, a number of officers seen that Bonawitz was armed with a roughly eight-inch lengthy searching knife, which they promptly snagged and discarded.

As officers tried to press again on the road of rioters descending on the Capitol constructing, Bonawitz resisted their efforts –– grabbing a feminine officer and lifting her off the bottom, swinging at one other officer instantly afterward, after which continuing to shove a 3rd officer who tried to intervene, in response to the court docket paperwork.

“Bonawitz’s assaultive conduct ended after MPD officers pushed him back into the crowd for a second time and deployed chemical agent to his face,” the affidavit alleges.

click on to enlarge

Photo from FBI court docket exhibit

After receiving a tip that Bonawitz was on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, the FBI interviewed him at his Pompano Beach house.

While Bonawitz admitted to touring to D.C. that day for a one-day journey and informed investigators he was tear-gassed and pepper-sprayed whereas taking part in protests, he denied that he had entered the Capitol or any restricted grounds. He additionally denied participating in bodily confrontations with legislation enforcement.

The FBI recognized Bonawitz because of the distinctive tattoo of a big marlin on his chest (therefore the nickname #MAGAMarlin), social media, and his look on a Proud Boys meet-up poster that circulated round South Florida final May, in response to the court docket filings. His hyperlinks to the group have been documented by on-line activists who logged photos of him sporting distinctive black-and-yellow gear alongside Proud Boys demonstrators.

Among the proof listed in court docket paperwork of Bonawitz’s actions on the Capitol is a January 9, 2021 Facebook video taken in Florida wherein Bonawitz is proven confronting an individual concerning the January 6 occasions, lifting his shirt to disclose purported bruises and seemingly touting his participation that day.

“Look dude, I was there alright,” Bonawitz told the person in the video, according to court documents. “This is compliments of the DC police.”



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