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Background: FILE – Violent insurrectionists loyal to President Donald Trump, storm the Capitol, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File). Inset left: Bryan Betancur in a picture taken at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., during the Jan. 6., 2021, insurrection (DOJ). Inset right: Betancur (Metro Transit Police).
A man who was previously pardoned for his involvement in the January 6th Capitol riot has found himself back in legal trouble, this time for an alleged incident on a commuter train in the Washington, D.C. area. Bryan Betancur, 28, faces charges of assault and battery after reportedly touching a woman’s hair while traveling on the Metro Silver Line near Clarendon Station in Arlington, Virginia.
The Metro Transit Police Department made the announcement on Monday, following Betancur’s arrest on Monday night. According to officials, the incident took place on Sunday around 10 p.m., and Betancur is alleged to have recorded and broadcasted his actions. The police noted their awareness of videos shared on social media that depicted inappropriate conduct toward Metro passengers, with Betancur identified as a suspect.
Local NBC affiliate WRC reported that a video from a livestream on an account linked to Betancur shows a hand touching a passenger’s hair on the train. This incident has drawn attention from Amanda Moore, a journalist and activist, who claims Betancur has a history of such behavior.
Moore described Betancur’s actions as part of a long-standing pattern of harassment. “He has a long history of terrorizing women and teenage girls, and we’ve all been waiting so long — some people since they were in high school — for this moment,” she expressed. “Women, for at least the last 14 years of this guy’s life, have been victimized by him, and it’s just getting worse and worse,” she told the outlet, emphasizing the relief felt by his recent arrest.
“He has a long history of terrorizing women and teenage girls, and we’ve all been waiting so long — some people since they were in high school — for this moment,” she told the outlet of his recent arrest. “Women, for at least the last 14 years of this guy’s life, have been victimized by him, and it’s just getting worse and worse.”
Betancur pleaded guilty in May 2022 to entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection on the U.S. Capitol. He was subsequently sentenced to four months in prison.
The defendant “posted photos and a video of himself at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, wearing a mask, looking at the camera and flashing the ‘ok’ hand signal commonly used among white supremacy groups,” according to his statement of offense, where he acknowledged the facts against him.
The federal affidavit filed against him on Jan. 15, 2021, said he “is a self-professed white supremacist who has made statements to law enforcement officers that he is a member of several white supremacy organizations.” Furthermore, he “has voiced homicidal ideations, made comments about conducting a school shooting, and has researched mass shootings.”
As Law&Crime previously reported, Betancur had been on probation in Maryland at the time of the insurrection, but his probation officer granted his request to travel to the nation’s capital “in order to distribute Bibles.” In reality, per the statement of offense, Betancur “planned in advance” to go to the rally in support of President Donald Trump on Jan. 6, 2021.
On the first day of his second term, on Jan. 20, 2025, Trump pardoned Betancur and more than 1,500 other people either convicted or awaiting trial for charges relating to the insurrection.
The assault and battery charge against Betancur was filed in Arlington County, Virginia, according to WRC. Metro Transit Police have asked anyone with information about him to contact them.