4 February 16-22, 2023 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | music | cafe | culture | Night+Day | news | letters | coNteNts | Month XX–Month XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | ART | STAGE | NIGHT+DAY | METRO | RIPTIDE | LETTERS | CONTENTS | ▼ POMPANO BEACH MOST WANTED POMPANO BEACH MAN CHARGED WITH REPEATEDLY ATTACKING OFFICERS IN CAPITOL HILL RIOT. BY ALEX DELUCA A South Florida man associated with the far-right Proud Boys has been arrested for allegedly assaulting multiple officers while storming the U.S. Capi- tol on January 6, 2021. Nearly two years after other a number of others linked to the Proud Boys were first nabbed for participating in the deadly insurrection at the Capitol, Kenneth Bonawitz — AKA #MAGAMarlin — was arrested in late January for his alleged role in the attack. The FBI says the 57-year-old Pompano Beach man was among the first rioters to break through a Capitol Police barricade at the West end of the building before he assaulted a handful of law enforcement officers as he was armed with a knife. Bonawitz faces eight federal charges, in- cluding assaulting, resisting, or impeding offi- cers and inflicting bodily injury, civil disorder, and entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or danger- ous weapon. Bonawitz is being held at the Broward County Main Jail in downtown Fort Lauderdale under a hold by the U.S. Marshals. Sporting a gray t-shirt with the words “Getcha some freedom,” a red MAGA hat, and a black leather jacket, Bonawitz was cap- tured on several Capitol Police officers’ body- worn cameras throughout the afternoon on January 6, 2021, according to an FBI affidavit. At around 2:30 p.m., shortly after Capitol Police called upon the D.C. National Guard for backup with the unfolding situation, Bonawitz, a heavyset bald man, was captured running and leaping onto a stage built for President Joe Biden’s then-upcoming inauguration. He then hurled himself onto two police officers, tackling them to the ground, the FBI alleges. One officer was left with shoulder and neck injuries. Shortly after, several officers noticed that Bonawitz was armed with a roughly eight- inch-long hunting knife, which they promptly snagged and discarded. As officers attempted to press back on the line of rioters descending on the Capitol building, Bonawitz resisted their efforts –– grabbing a female officer and lifting her off the ground, swinging at another officer im- mediately after- ward, and then proceeding to shove a third offi- cer who tried to intervene, ac- cording to the court documents. “Bonawitz’s assaultive con- duct ended after MPD officers pushed him back into the crowd for a second time and deployed chemi- cal agent to his face,” the affidavit alleges. After receiving a tip that Bonawitz was at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, the FBI inter- viewed him at his Pompano Beach home. While Bonawitz admitted to traveling to D.C. that day for a one-day trip and told investigators he was tear-gassed and pepper- sprayed while participating in protests, he denied that he had entered the Capitol or any restricted grounds. He also denied engaging in physical confrontations with law enforcement. The FBI identified Bonawitz thanks to the distinctive tattoo of a large marlin on his chest (hence the nickname #MAGAMarlin), social media, and his appearance on a Proud Boys meet-up poster that circulated around South Florida last May, according to the court filings. His links to the group have been docu- mented by online activists who logged pic- tures of him wearing distinctive black-and-yellow gear alongside Proud Boys demonstrators. Among the evidence listed in court docu- ments of Bonawitz’s actions at the Capitol is a January 9, 2021 Facebook video taken in Flor- ida in which Bonawitz is shown confronting a person about the January 6 events, lifting his shirt to reveal purported bruises and seem- ingly touting his participation that day. “Look dude, I was there alright,” Bonawitz told the person in the video, according to court documents. “This is compliments of the DC police.” [email protected] | RIPTIDE | KENNETH BONAWITZ WAS ARRESTED IN LATE JANUARY FOR HIS ALLEGED ROLE IN THE ATTACK. GET MORE NEWS & COMMENTARY AT MIAMINEWTIMES.COM/NEWS
