A U.S. Army private was arrested by the FBI at a military installation in Hawaii on Tuesday and charged with felonies in federal court for allegedly assaulting a police officer with a flagpole during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump.

What You Need To Know

  • A U.S. Army private was arrested by the FBI at a military installation in Hawaii on Tuesday and charged with felonies in federal court for allegedly assaulting a police officer with a flagpole during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump

  • In footage of the attack, Pvt. Alexander Cain Poplin “can be seen repeatedly striking [a Washington Metropolitan Police Department] officer with the blue flagpole,” the FBI wrote

  • Poplin has been charged with felony civil disorder and felony assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers with a dangerous weapon. He also faces three misdemeanor charges for his actions on restricted grounds that day

  • Roughly 1,500 defendants have been charged with crimes connected to the attack. Around 560 have been charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding law enforcement agents or officers or obstructing those officers during a civil disorder

Pvt. Alexander Cain Poplin, 31, served in the Army National Guard between Dec. 2012 and Dec. 2018 before rejoining the service two years after participating in the Capitol riot. He began active-duty service as an infantryman in April 2023 and was assigned to the 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, in September 2023, Army spokesperson Bryce Dubee told Spectrum News. It was at that installation on Oahu where he was arrested by federal agents on Tuesday, according to an arrest warrant.

“I was there. Don’t believe what the media is telling you. The… cops attacked us and we took our house back,” Poplin allegedly wrote on Facebook, according to the criminal complaint. “I’m telling you it wasn’t violent until the cops literally started beating… people with [batons], tear gas, mace, and shooting pepper spray balls.”

“Then we beat their f****** a** and stood for something,” he continued.

The FBI first caught on to Poplin when that Facebook comment was submitted as a tip through their website in February 2021. But it wasn’t until June 13 of this year when they used photos on his Facebook page and images from the riot to identify him, confirming that he was present during the attack by showing pictures from that day to a supervisor in the Army.

During the events of Jan. 6, 2021, Poplin was wearing an official Army Combat Uniform backpack and a Gadsden flag snake hat that read “Don’t Tread On Me,” according to the indictment. He first attended Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally on the National Mall before marching towards the Capitol with thousands of others.

In footage of the attack, Poplin “can be seen repeatedly striking [a Washington Metropolitan Police Department] officer with the blue flagpole,” the FBI wrote.

A screenshot of footage from the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol that was shown by the FBI to Pvt. Alexander Cain Poplin's superior in the U.S. Army to identify him as being present that day. (Image courtesy of the U.S. Department of Justice)
A screenshot of footage from the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol that was shown by the FBI to Pvt. Alexander Cain Poplin's superior in the U.S. Army to identify him as being present that day. (Image courtesy of the U.S. Department of Justice)

“Court documents say that Poplin’s alleged actions at the Lower West Plaza contributed to the chaos as rioters confronted law enforcement officers who were defending the Capitol,” the Department of Justice said in a statement.

Poplin’s court-appointed attorney did not respond to an email requesting comment.

Poplin has been charged with felony civil disorder and felony assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers with a dangerous weapon. He also faces three misdemeanor charges for his actions on restricted grounds that day. It is unclear from the indictment if he ever entered the Capitol building.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Columbia, which oversees the vast majority of Capitol riot-related prosecutions, said they do not track the number of military service members charged with crimes connected to the attack.

But Michael Jensen, research director at the University of Maryland's National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism, told Military.com in August that at least 231 Capitol riot defendants have military backgrounds, with about 10% currently serving on the day of the attack. That’s 15% of the roughly 1,500 defendants charged with crimes connected to the attack. Around 560 have been charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding law enforcement agents or officers or obstructing those officers during a civil disorder.