Enrique Tarrio, leader of the neo-fascist group called the Proud Boys, was arrested Monday and accused of destroying a Black Lives Matter sign at a historic Black church in Washington, D.C., last month.
What We Know:
- Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, 36, was arrested by Metropolitan Police Department officers upon arriving in Washington to attend a pro-Trump protest that coincides with the congressional vote expected Wednesday to confirm Joe Biden’s election victory.
- Tarrio was taken into custody on suspicion of destruction of property after an incident during a pro-Trump rally last month in D.C., where a Black Lives Matter sign was removed from Asbury United Methodist Church and was set on fire.
- A police statement noted that Terrio was found to have two high-capacity magazines and faces an additional gun charge. Additionally, Terrio and the Proud Boys group are being sued by Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church in connection with the destruction of a Black Lives Matter sign during the same Dec. 12 pro-Trump rally.
- According to a complaint filed in D.C., the church accused Tarrio and the group of “engaging in acts of terror and vandalizing church property in an effort to intimidate the Church and silence its support for racial justice,” Superior Court.
- The historic church, which was founded in 1872 and hosted Frederick Douglass’ 1895 funeral, was featured in a viral video that showed several people destroying a Black Lives Matter sign in front of the church.
- In the lawsuit, the church defends that several members of the group lept over its iron fence, broke the zip ties that held the plastic Black Lives Matter, and joined “in the celebration of the sign’s destruction.”
- Tarrio told The Washington Post that he had participated in the burning of the Black Lives Matter sign and said he would plead guilty to destruction of property and pay the church the cost of the banner, according to AP.
The church community is “in some ways of course feeling some relief” following Tarrio’s arrest, said Rev. Dr. Ianther Mills. However, she states that “we still remain concerned” regarding the high number of expected protesters in the area this week.
