Proud Boys leader Henry “Enrique” Tarrio was rejected Thursday in his court bid to be allowed to freely return to Washington, D.C., where he was arrested a month earlier and promptly ordered out of town.
Ruling from D.C. Superior Court, Judge Robert Okun denied a request that he change the conditions of release imposed on Mr. Tarrio, effectively upholding an order all but banning him from the city.
Mr. Tarrio, of Miami, Florida, said in December that he was among members of the Proud Boys who set fire to a stolen “Black Lives Manner” sign when the group rallied several days earlier in D.C.
Police later arrested Mr. Tarrio for destruction of property when he returned to D.C. on Jan. 4, and a magistrate ordered him the next day to stay out of the city except for case-related matters.
Lucas I. Danise, a lawyer for Mr. Tarrio, subsequently asked the court to reconsider letting his client return to D.C., citing factors including him wanting to protest the new Biden administration.
That request was rejected by Judge Okun with Thursday’s ruling, however. Mr. Danise filed a notice of appeal on behalf of Mr. Tarrio shortly afterward.
In a 10-page order explaining his decision, the judge said the ruling barring Mr. Tarrio from D.C. is warranted “in light of the nature of his crimes, his criminal history and his explicit and implicit warnings that he would commit more crimes if he returned to the District.”
The judge cited several comments Mr. Tarrio made online in the weeks following the “BLM” sign being set on fire, such as one posting on the platform Parler that said he would “F-ING DO IT AGAIN.”
“Indeed, Defendant’s own social media posts demonstrate the likelihood that he would re-offend if he were allowed to return to the District for reasons unrelated to his case,” the judge ruled.
Mr. Tarrio has led the Proud Boys, a men’s only group, since 2019. He is a vocal supporter of former President Donald Trump, and he was arrested in D.C. while in town to participate in related protests.
The court order barring Mr. Tarrio from D.C. prohibited him from joining other Proud Boys the following day in protesting Mr. Trump’s defeat in and around the U.S. Capitol building.
Several members of the Proud Boys have since been charged with storming the Capitol during the deadly insurrection on Jan. 6. Canada, accordingly, declared the group a terrorist entity this week.
In addition to being charged with misdemeanor destruction, Mr. Tarrio also faces counts related to allegedly possessing two empty but illegal ammunition magazines at the time of his arrest.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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