Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio is released on bail and ordered to stay away from Washington D.C. for six months on the eve of protests as members of the far right group 'vow revenge' and plan to 'burn D.C. to the ground'
A judge has banned the leader of the Proud Boys from the nation's capital after he was accused of vandalizing a Black Lives Matter banner at a historic Black church and found with high-capacity firearm magazines when he was arrested.
The order bans Henry 'Enrique' Tarrio, 36, from entering the District of Columbia, with very limited exceptions to meet with his attorney or appear in court.
It comes a day after he was arrested arriving in Washington ahead of protests planned by supporters of President Donald Trump to coincide with the congressional vote expected Wednesday to affirm Joe Biden's election victory.
But his arrest may come with consequences with several members of the far-right organization pledging all out violence during Wednesday's planned marches and protests.
Proud Boys Leader, Enrique Tarrio is released from a Washington D.C. courthouse after spending the night in jail after allegedly burning a Black Lives Matter Banner taken from a black church during a rally in December
Tarrio, seen after being released from police custody, is now banned from Washington DC for six months
Tarrio was greeted by fans and hecklers alike when he was released from police custody
Proud Boys leader Henry 'Enrique' Tarrio was arrested in Washington D.C. on Monday. He is accused of burning a Black Lives Matter banner that was torn down from a historic Black church in downtown Washington in December
Pictured: A group of Proud Boys members burn a BLM flag on December 12, 2020
Tarrio allegedly burned a BLM banner that was the property of Asbury United Methodist Church
'Burn D.C. to the ground! Start with the metro police hq. Once a cop violated the oath he took, he loses any protections that oath provided. Fair game. Specially is those c*********s protect antif*** and blm. I watched a video of 3 cop vehicles escorting 3 buses of antif*** to the protest,' wrote one Proud Boy's member on the social media network Parler.
‘Time to burn down dc police precinct. F*** those treasonous pig b*******,' wrote Juarez.
‘These cops are so outnumbered they can’t handle multiple events at one time and guard the city. Use the mob as a decoy to dictate where their presence is and overwhelmed the system,' added Justin.
‘Be sure to wear your guns for all to see when you are in DC,' wrote Neil, likely risking arrest knowing full well it is forbidden to carry weapons without a permit in the city.
The Proud Boys suggested that they would be circulating throughout the city and would dress incognito to blend in with protest crowds.
Trump, meanwhile, has said that he will be attending the protests.
He famously told the Proud Boys to 'stand back and standby' during his debate performance, which was seen as a call to action for the right-wing group.
Street closures are set to take place in the nation's capital and residents are being urged to either stay away or not engage with the protesters who attempt to incite violence.
On Monday, Washington D.C. police said they were worried about potential violence, particularly from groups like the Proud Boys, and warned that people carrying firearms would be arrested.
'We will not allow people to incite violence or intimidate our residents,' said Mayor Muriel Bowser.
Several members of the far-right organization are pledging all out violence during Wednesday's planned marches and protests
Tarrio was charged with destruction of property and is also facing a weapons charges after officers found him with two high-capacity firearm magazines when he was arrested
Tarrio was arrested Monday by the Metropolitan Police Department and accused of burning a Black Lives Matter banner that was torn down from a historic Black church in downtown Washington last month
Tarrio was arrested Monday by the Metropolitan Police Department and accused of burning a Black Lives Matter banner that was torn down from a historic Black church in downtown Washington last month.
He was charged with destruction of property and is also facing weapons charges after officers found him with two high capacity firearm magazines when he was arrested. Tarrio has been additionally charged with possession of high capacity feeding device.
'In the burning of the BLM sign, I was the one that lit it on fire,' Tarrio said on the War Boys podcast. 'I was the person that went ahead and put the lighter to it and engulfed it in flames, and I am damn proud that I did.'
'These actions, meant to terrorize Black people, violated DC law and were hate crimes,' D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine said in a letter to the U.S. Attorney. 'They harmed people of color, and every person who lives and works in our city who believes in fairness, justice and racial equity.'
Trump continues to share tweets about the event, writing Sunday: 'I will be there. Historic day!'
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser has requested National Guard troops and urged residents to avoid downtown
A stage is set up on the Ellipse near the White House in Washington, Monday in preparation for a rally on January 6, the day when Congress is scheduled to meet to formally finalize the presidential election results
His arrest came ahead of protests planned on Tuesday and Wednesday by backers of President Donald Trump supporting his unfounded claim that he, and not Biden, won the November 3 presidential election.
According to the criminal complaint, when police pulled Tarrio over on the warrant for vandalizing the Black Lives Matter sign, officers found two unloaded magazines emblazoned with the Proud Boys logo in his bag that have a capacity of 30 rounds each for AR-15 or M4-style weapons.
Tarrio said, according to a police report, that he sells the clips and the ones he was carrying were purchased by a customer. 'I had a customer that bought those two mags, and they got returned ´cause it was a wrong address,' Tarrio said, according to court papers.
People attend a rally at Freedom Plaza on Tuesday, January 5 in Washington, in support of President Donald Trump
'And I contacted him, and he's like, `I'm going to be in DC,´ so I'm like, `Okay, I'll take `em to you.´ So that I can show you proof ....I can give you, like my invoices and stuff like that from it, and, like, the USPS shipping label.'
He was arrested in a tunnel near the Capitol, ahead of what is expected to be large far-right protests gathering in D.C. according to Tarrio's online postings: 'The ProudBoys will turn out in record numbers on Jan 6th but this time with a twist,' saying they'd spread out incognito.
Tarrio's attorney did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
Washington DC is expecting violence from the Proud Boys in the coming days during protests
Proud Boys are expected to dress incognito during protests held by other groups
Pictured: A Black Lives Matter banner being set on fire on December 12, 2020
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