What to Know
- A SoCal man was detained on allegations he illegally entered restricted grounds and engaged in unlawful activities on Capitol grounds.
- Agents matched images and videos posted online with the, who was initially identified with photos reviewed by the Huntington Beach Police Department, court documents say.
- In one social media video clip, the person agents say was Mark Simon turned to the camera and said, “In the Capitol baby, yeah!”
FBI agents arrested a man in Huntington Beach early Thursday as part of the nationwide effort to investigate the assault on the U.S. Capitol earlier this month.
Mark Simon, described in court papers by police as a, “known activist,” was detained on allegations he illegally entered restricted grounds and engaged in unlawful activities on Capitol grounds.
He was expected to make an initial appearance in court Thursday afternoon.
According to an affidavit filed in court, agents matched images and videos posted online with Simon, who was initially identified with photos reviewed by the Huntington Beach Police Department at the request of the FBI. A police representative told the FBI they recognized Simon.
The court filing says in one social media video clip the person agents said was Simon turned to the camera and said, “In the Capitol baby, yeah!”
The photo below is part of the charging documents prosecutors cited as evidence in the case against the Huntington Beach man.
Agents also said they reviewed blog posts in which Simon was seen in videos with a female companion, including one message titled, “From HB to DC: (redacted) and tanned BF help Storm the Capitol for Trump!”
On Wednesday agents arrested a man in Victorville accused of unlawfully entering the Capitol and disrupting a session of Congress.
Jacob Daniel Lewis allegedly posted images on his personal Instagram account that showed him inside the Capitol but denied he participated in any violence, according to an FBI affidavit filed in court.
Last week, agents arrested a Federal Aviation Administration employee in San Bernardino who’s accused of going inside the Capitol and taking a ‘selfie’ photo in front of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office.
Kevin Strong told agents he was inside the Capitol but denied taking part in any violence, according to court records.
A criminal complaint said Strong was under federal investigation prior to the Capitol violence when a witness tipped agents that Strong claimed World War III was going to begin on January 6, and that QAnon would pay for the loan on a truck he had recently purchased.
Earlier this month FBI agents arrested 3 people in Beverly Hills and 1 man in Glendora for their alleged participation in the entry into the Capitol. The 4 have made initial appearances in court in L.A. and have been released pending further proceedings in federal court in Washington, D.C.
Nationwide more than 140 people now face criminal charges in connection with the events at the U.S. Capitol January 6. Federal officials say hundreds of others are under investigation and more will be arrested.
