Alexander Cain Poplin appears in photos at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2012. (U.S. Attorney’s Office)
An active duty U.S. Army soldier from Hawaii is accused of assaulting officers guarding the Capitol on Jan. 6 and later bragging that “we took our house back” and “Then we beat their f—— a– and stood for something.”
Alexander Cain Poplin, 31, was arrested on Tuesday at Schofield Barracks near Honolulu. He faces charges of assaulting officers with a dangerous weapon, civil disorder, trespassing, disorderly conduct and engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced in a news release .
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Clad in a black jacket and a black beanie containing a yellow Gadsden flag snake logo, along with an Army camouflage backpack, Poplin is seen holding different flags throughout the day at the Capitol, authorities said.
Poplin was first seen attending former President Donald Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., before making his way to the Capitol, according to a statement of facts unsealed on Wednesday.
At about 2:30 p.m., Poplin was allegedly at the Lower West Plaza of the Capitol and within the restricted perimeter. He allegedly held an “Area Closed” sign in his left hand and a flagpole with a blue flag in his right. He is accused of repeatedly striking a Metropolitan Police Department officer with the blue flagpole.
Afterward, he allegedly posted about the riots on Facebook, claiming “we beat their f—— a– and stood for something” and “we took our house back.”
The court documents included an alleged screenshot of the lengthy typo-laden post that says, in part:
“I was there dont believe what the media is telling you the f—ing cops attacked us and we took our house back. WE THE PEOPLE have power and our government is full of corruption. I marched with Americans of all races and ethnicities today. Americans who came from China by the thousands handing out real educated information on how the Chinese communist party controls our minds, our health and our economy. People are blind. I’m telling you it wasn’t violent until the cops literally started beating f—ing people with boutons, tear gas, mace, and shooting pepper spray balls. Then we beat their f—ing a– and stood for something. It’s b——- and the corruption is real on both sides Democrat and republicans …”
He was arrested after Poplin’s supervisor in the military identified him in photos in which he was wearing the Army camouflage backpack inside the Capitol’s restricted area that day, court documents said.
Poplin’s lawyer in Hawaii didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment, The Associated Press reported.
In the 44 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,500 people have been charged with crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, authorities said .
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