Nearly two years after a lot of others linked to the Proud Boys have been first nabbed <\/a>for taking part within the lethal rebel on the Capitol, Kenneth Bonawitz\u00a0\u2014 AKA #MAGAMarlin\u00a0\u2014\u00a0was arrested in late January<\/a> 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. <\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Kenneth Bonawitz, recognized to Jan. 6 sleuths as #MAGAMarlin<\/a> has been arrested in Florida. He was armed with a knife on the Capitol. pic.twitter.com\/2DTdMkqJNu<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) January 27, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n \nBonawitz is being held on the Broward County Main Jail in downtown Fort Lauderdale below a maintain by the U.S. Marshals. <\/p>\n Sporting a grey t-shirt with the phrases \u201cGetcha some freedom,\u201d a pink MAGA hat, and a black leather-based jacket,\u00a0 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). <\/p>\n 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,\u00a0Bonawitz, a heavyset bald man, was captured operating and leaping onto a stage\u00a0constructed for President Joe Biden\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n 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. <\/p>\n As officers tried to press again on the road of rioters descending on the Capitol constructing, Bonawitz resisted their efforts \u2013\u2013 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. <\/p>\n \u201cBonawitz\u2019s assaultive conduct ended after MPD officers pushed him back into the crowd for a second time and deployed chemical agent to his face,\u201d the affidavit alleges. <\/p>\n Photo from FBI court docket exhibit <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \nAfter receiving a tip that Bonawitz was on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, the FBI interviewed him at his Pompano Beach house. <\/p>\n While Bonawitz admitted to touring to D.C. that day for a one-day journey and informed investigators he was\u00a0tear-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. <\/p>\n The FBI recognized Bonawitz because of the distinctive tattoo of a big marlin on his chest (therefore the nickname #MAGAMarlin<\/a>), social media, and\u00a0his 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<\/a> alongside Proud Boys demonstrators.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cLook dude, I was there alright,” Bonawitz told the person in the video, according to court documents. “This is compliments of the DC police.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
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