Alex Kirk Harkrider, 36, of Carthage was found guilty on Tuesday of several felony and misdemeanor offenses, and the next day, David Rene Arredondo, 48, of El Paso, pleaded guilty to eight counts, two of which were felonies.
Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024, marks the third anniversary of the violent storming of the Capitol building by a mob of thousands of Donald Trump supporters in an effort to prevent the certification of the 2020 presidential election, in which Joe Biden emerged as the winner.
Three Years of Forgetting
Since that day, Texas has been a leader in the number of residents arrested for participating in the attack with more than 80, just behind Florida and just ahead of New York and Pennsylvania. You got to believe that Gov. Greg Abbott is none too pleased to trail his Republican rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, in both school book bans and arrests related to Jan. 6.In the immediate aftermath, it was reasonable to think that the deadly events of Jan. 6, 2021, might permanently bury Trump and his supporters in the farthest corners of the far-right political spectrum. But if anything, the last three years have shown that Jan. 6, and subsequent Trump indictments, may have only galvanized the MAGA crowd in an “us against the world” type of way.
Earlier this week, on Jan. 2, the Washington Post published a story with the alarming headline “Republican loyalty to Trump, rioters climbs in 3 years after Jan. 6 attack.”
Citing a survey the Post conducted in collaboration with the University of Maryland, the article noted that “Republicans are now less likely to believe Jan. 6 participants were 'mostly violent,' less likely to believe Trump bears responsibility for the attack and are slightly less likely to view Joe Biden’s election as legitimate than they were in a December 2021 Post-UMD survey.”
Texas Man Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Law Enforcement and Other Charges During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach. @FBIWFO @FBIElPaso @HSIElPaso @CapitolPolice @DCPoliceDept https://t.co/HG8O0rt8bN
— U.S. Attorney DC (@USAO_DC) January 3, 2024
The Latest Jan. 6 Developments for Texans
Harkrider, who pleaded not guilty on all the counts against him, wore body armor and carried a tactical tomahawk on Jan. 6, 2021, according to the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. Authorities say that Harkrider and a friend, Ryan Nichols (also arrested), discussed needing body armor to protect themselves from bullets.In a text message to Harkrider, Nichols wrote, “Dad and I are building a gun container in the truck today. Just know I have intel that Washington will be a warzone. Big possibility that actual battle goes down.”
A statement announcing the verdict suggests that Harkrider and Nichols were vocal leaders in helping crowds enter the Capitol building through the lower west terrace, where some of the more violent parts of the attack occurred.
“Before entering the Capitol, Harkrider pumped his fist in the air,” the statement read. “Harkrider and Nichols then emerged from the room and stood on a window ledge. From the ledge, Nichols, using a bullhorn, shouted to other rioters, ‘Get in the building, this is your country, get in the building, we will not be told ‘No’,’ ‘This is the second revolution,’ ‘This is not a peaceful protest,’ and ‘If you have a weapon, you need to get your weapon!’”
But that wasn’t all for Harkrider. The government says he also “picked up a broken piece of government furniture from the Capitol and took it to his home in Texas.”
Arredondo wasn’t armed or wearing armor, but he was plenty active, authorities say. He could be seen via security video footage committing a number of illegal acts before spending about 35 minutes inside the building.
According to a statement, the El Paso resident was seen pushing fencing against officers on the East Plaza, making physical contact with an officer who was attempting to stop people from entering the Capitol, and pulling the arm of a police officer who was surrounded by a mob of rioters.
The U.S. attorney says that more than 1,230 people have been arrested so far in connection with the Capitol siege of Jan. 6, 2021. Both Harkrider and Arredondo are scheduled to be sentenced in early May.
