Lewiston Man Arrested for Role in January 6 Protest

by Seamus Othot | Oct 7, 2024

The FBI arrested 64-year-old Lewiston resident, Andre Maurice Bonneau, in Maine on Thursday for illegally entering the U.S. Capitol and assaulting police officers with a bike rack on January 6, 2021.

Bonneau allegedly picked up a bike rack and attempted to force his way past police officers and remove a barricade blocking entry into the Capitol.

“Body Worn Camera (“BWC”) and open-source footage showed the subject disregard police orders to “get back.” Instead, the subject turned his back to officers along the line, grabbed the bike rack, and used his body weight to push the bike rack into officers in an apparent attempt to breach the police line,” said the court’s statement of facts.

Police fight Bonneau with riot batons and eventually forced him to retreat by deploying an unspecified “chemical irritant.”

Using a variety of images from the riot, the FBI identified Bonneau as a likely suspect for the person they referred to in court documents as the “#BarrierBandit.”

FBI agents contacted Bonneau in 2022, and he admitted that he was at the Capitol on January 6 but declined to answer further questions when agents asked him if he engaged in any violence.

Agents then began asking Bonneau’s acquaintances if they could identify him as the “#BarrierBandit” based on images from the Capitol riot.

One unnamed Lewiston resident, personally acquainted with Bonneau, confirmed that he matched the pictures from the riot.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) issued an arrest warrant, and FBI agents took Bonneau into custody nearly four years after the Capitol riot.

Bonneau will make his first court appearance in a District of Maine court and faces multiple misdemeanor charges, including entering restricted grounds, disorderly conduct in a restricted building or grounds, engaging in physical violence on restricted grounds, and disorderly conduct in a Capitol Building.

The DOJ has not revealed when Bonneau will first appear in court, where he is being held, or if he will be granted bail.

Bonneau has joined Matthew Brackley, 40, of Waldoboro, as another Mainer arrested in connection with the January 6 riots.

Brackley pleaded guilty in January to pushing against police officers in order to enter the U.S. Capitol.

Seamus Othot is a reporter for The Maine Wire. He grew up in New Hampshire, and graduated from The Thomas More College of Liberal Arts, where he was able to spend his time reading the great works of Western Civilization. He can be reached at [email protected]

Help Support The Effort

0 Comments

Join the discussion...

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This

Discover more from The Maine Anchor

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading