The FBI arrested 64-year-old Lewiston resident, Andre Maurice Bonneau, in Maine on Thursday for illegally entering the U.S. Capitol and assaulting police officers with a bike rack on January 6, 2021.
[RELATED: Waldoboro Man Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Law Enforcement During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach…]
Bonneau allegedly picked up a bike rack and attempted to force his way past police officers and remove a barricade blocking entry into the Capitol.
“Body Worn Camera (“BWC”) and open-source footage showed the subject disregard police orders to “get back.” Instead, the subject turned his back to officers along the line, grabbed the bike rack, and used his body weight to push the bike rack into officers in an apparent attempt to breach the police line,” said the court’s statement of facts.
Police fight Bonneau with riot batons and eventually forced him to retreat by deploying an unspecified “chemical irritant.”
Using a variety of images from the riot, the FBI identified Bonneau as a likely suspect for the person they referred to in court documents as the “#BarrierBandit.”
FBI agents contacted Bonneau in 2022, and he admitted that he was at the Capitol on January 6 but declined to answer further questions when agents asked him if he engaged in any violence.
Agents then began asking Bonneau’s acquaintances if they could identify him as the “#BarrierBandit” based on images from the Capitol riot.
One unnamed Lewiston resident, personally acquainted with Bonneau, confirmed that he matched the pictures from the riot.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) issued an arrest warrant, and FBI agents took Bonneau into custody nearly four years after the Capitol riot.
Bonneau will make his first court appearance in a District of Maine court and faces multiple misdemeanor charges, including entering restricted grounds, disorderly conduct in a restricted building or grounds, engaging in physical violence on restricted grounds, and disorderly conduct in a Capitol Building.
The DOJ has not revealed when Bonneau will first appear in court, where he is being held, or if he will be granted bail.
Bonneau has joined Matthew Brackley, 40, of Waldoboro, as another Mainer arrested in connection with the January 6 riots.
Brackley pleaded guilty in January to pushing against police officers in order to enter the U.S. Capitol.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="31460 https://www.themainewire.com/?p=31460">4 Comments
We the people own that house and walking between the velvet ropes after being allowed in by the police is not illegal.
There was no “insurrection” because no one except the cops had weapons.
If Trump loses we’re in for worse.
Who killed the ONLY poster or Cop killed at the riot?
A woman protester was shot and killed who did it congress!
Our govt has been compromised by corrupt politicians, communists , sick evil globalists billionaires who were all involved on epstien island. Sick disgusting animals. Look how muchtheor “helping ” the people down south after the hurricane, and another one is about to hit! Prepare for this winter everyone.
That Pavement Ape shot Ashley Babbit , He is nothing but a DEI hire …