Man Accused Of Trespassing, Threatening Media At Jan 6. Protest

OLYMPIA, WA — Washington State Patrol have arrested one man in connection to the Jan. 6 protest that breached the gates of the governor's mansion in Olympia.

On Jan 6., at the same time a pro-Trump mob was storming the nation's Capitol in D.C., a similar event was unfolding in Washington state when several dozen pro-Trump protesters broke onto the grounds of the governor's mansion in Olympia.

Washington State Patrol responded to the breach, and within 30 minutes had removed the protesters from the grounds. At the time, WSP said they had decided to delay arrests in an effort to make sure the crowd dispersed peacefully.

"If they're not creating violence at the moment, and they're not destroying property, we have time on our hands," said WSP spokesman Darren Wright.

One suspected trespasser was arrested the following Monday, but it would be another week before they announced their second capture: the arrest of Seattle resident Damon Huseman. But not only is 26-year-old Huseman facing potential criminal trespassing charges for his involvement in the breach, he's also under investigation for assault and felony harassment for his actions earlier in the day.

The day of the breach, Sara Gentzler, a reporter for the Olympian, posted a video of a man shoving her on the grounds of the Capitol Campus. Tuesday, just before WSP announced their arrest, Gentzler confirmed that the man in her video was Huseman, and that he had been taken into custody for the attack and for bear-spraying two other journalists covering the protest.

For some, it was a long time coming — Huseman's actions at the protest had drawn plenty of speculation on social media. On Jan. 6, WANaziWatch posted a lengthy Twitter thread containing another video of a man, who they identified as Huseman, yelling at other protesters and onlookers about "Jewish controlled media".

Numerous other recordings of the protest can be found online showing a man who appears to be Huseman, armed with an assault rifle and yelling about various topics, like his hatred for the baby boomer generation and immigrants. One such video shows the man fighting with several other protesters before becoming heated and yelling "one bullet for every boomer," among other threats.

WSP's release on Huseman's arrest does not contain many specifics on his actions or their investigation, only that he was taken into custody without incident, and has been booked into the Thurston County Jail. WSP will be holding a press conference on Huseman's arrest at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Capitol, at which point more on their investigation and the resulting charges is likely to be revealed.

Related: 2 Arrested During Protest At Washington's Capitol