10 arrested by DC police during pro-Trump protests

Washington, D.C., police had arrested at least 10 people through early morning Wednesday as pro-President Trump protesters rally in the capital.

The 10 arrests, all of which occurred in Northwest D.C., included the Tuesday arrest of a man from North Carolina, from whom police said they obtained two firearms, a firework and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) records indicate Thomas Gronek, 46, was on a multicolored school bus along Constitution Avenue when he was charged with several firearms offenses.

Police said they confiscated several items, including a Springfield 9mm handgun, a Ruger .22 caliber rifle, an extended ammunition magazine that holds 110 bullets and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. The driver of the bus, also from North Carolina, was arrested on charges of not having a license. 

Another man from Colorado, identified as 48-year-old Harlan Boen, faced arrest on Tuesday outside of the Wilson Building for allegedly carrying prohibited weapons, including a pistol without a license, and having unregistered ammunition. A police report said Boen had 14 cartridges of .40 caliber ammunition, a large capacity feeding device and a knife.

Out of the 10 arrested individuals, who ranged in age from 24 to 52, three were from Maryland, two from North Carolina, two from Texas, one from Virginia, one from Colorado and one person’s residence was unknown. 

Other charges included simple assault, assault on a police officer and crossing a police line.

On the second consecutive day of protests on Wednesday, MPD also said its officers recovered a rifle inside a parked vehicle at L’Enfant Plaza, The Washington Post reported.

On Monday, Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, whose group is among those in the District on Wednesday, was arrested and charged with destruction of property after previously saying he was among those who burned a church’s Black Lives Matter banner last month. 

Police found Tarrio to be in possession of two illegal high-capacity firearm magazines during his arrest. A judge ordered Tarrio to leave the city until his hearing in June.

Trump called his supporters to protest in D.C. on the day Congress is slated to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s election win. Several Republican lawmakers are attempting to challenge Biden’s victory, but the effort will likely be unsuccessful.