Florida man allegedly involved in group that beat officer with flagpole on Jan. 6 arrested

A Florida man accused of assaulting a Metropolitan Police Department officer as part of a group that was equipped with a baton, flag pole and crutch during the Jan. 6 riot was arrested on Tuesday.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C. announced on Wednesday that 26-year-old Mason Joel Courson was arrested the day prior and faces multiple charges, including entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon; civil disorder and assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers and inflicting bodily injury.

An indictment filed in mid-November alleges that Courson and several others used a flag pole, crutch and baton to “forcibly assault, resist, oppose, impede, intimidate, and interfere with” a Metropolitan Police Department officer on Jan. 6 in the late afternoon.

The indictment also said that earlier that day Courson “committed and attempted to commit an act to obstruct, impede, and interfere with a law enforcement officer lawfully engaged” in the performance of their duties.

Jason Kreiss, a lawyer for Courson, said he had not reviewed evidence and could not comment on the case, according to The Associated Press.

More than 700 people have been arrested in connection to the Jan. 6 riot, in which supporters of former President Trump sought to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential win, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

More than 220 people alone face charges for assaulting and impeding law enforcement, the office says. 

The Hill has reached out to Kreiss for comment.