Ex-Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio arrested on assault charge outside U.S. Capitol

Enrique Tarrio, the former Proud Boys leader granted clemency by President Donald Trump last month, was arrested outside the U.S. Capitol on Friday and charged with assaulting a female protester.

Tarrio was handcuffed, searched and put in a police van by U.S. Capitol Police after he appeared on Capitol Hill with several other members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers for a “press conference.” The police said he was charged with assault.

Capitol Police said in a statement that the incident happened around 2:30 p.m. ET when “our officers witnessed a woman (a counter protester) 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.

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Asked why he’d been detained, Tarrio told onlookers that “a lady stuck her phone in my face so I [inaudible] her phone.”

NBC News has reached out to the Washington U.S. attorney’s office — which is currently headed by Ed Martin, who helped organize the “Stop the Steal” rally that preceded the Capitol riot and later became an advocate for Jan. 6 defendants. NBC News also reached out to representatives of Tarrio.

Later Friday night, Tarrio appeared outside the Conservative Political Action Conference and said police had released him. Speaking to journalists, he said the woman “pricked” him with something and that he “grabbed her phone and smashed it against the ground.”

Tarrio said “law enforcement did see video that showed there was contact from her to me” and that he was under the impression that the charges could be dropped.

Earlier in the week, Tarrio had been escorted out of CPAC, but on Friday he said he was in good standing with the conference and displayed his badge.

Tarrio said he is still affiliated with the Proud Boys and that “we’re going to continue to fight.”

Tarrio had been serving a 22-year sentence in federal prison on charges including seditious conspiracy for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack until last month, when Trump commuted his sentence.

Proud Boys leader Joe Biggs had announced plans for the press conference on Thursday while appearing on former Trump White House adviser Steve Bannon’s podcast.

“Myself, Enrique Tarrio, Stewart Rhodes and the Oath Keepers and Zachary [Rehl] right here, we’re gonna be going to the Capitol and talking about our future plans, and what it looks like we’re gonna be doing.”

At the press conference, they told reporters they plan to sue the Justice Department over the charges that were filed against them.

“I’m not talking about violent retribution. I’m talking about something much more powerful, accountability and the rule of law. That is why today we are announcing a lawsuit against the DOJ for their murders, their lies and the end of the suffering they have put us through,” Tarrio said.

No suit has been filed yet. Biggs indicated they would be seeking “about $150 million” but “we haven’t focused on exactly what it’s going to be.”

The four men were convicted of seditious conspiracy for the leading roles they played in the Jan. 6 riot, and the group received some of the longest prison sentences connected to the insurrection. Trump commuted all of their sentences on his first day in office, while issuing roughly 1,500 pardons for supporters who were convicted on criminal charges related to the attack.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com

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