Huntington Beach Man Mark Simon Arrested In Capitol Riot
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – A Huntington Beach man became the latest Southern Californian to be arrested in connection with the storming of the U.S. Capitol building earlier this month.
Mark Simon was taken into custody by FBI agents Thursday on charges of entering a restricted building or grounds and unlawful activities on Capitol grounds.
Simon appeared in federal court virtually Thursday afternoon, where at one point during the hearing, he appeared to blurt out that he did not enter the Capitol.
The judge ended up setting bail at $25,000 with conditions to his release, like surrendering his passport.
Simon is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing virtually next week with prosecutors in Washington D.C., the charging district.
In the criminal complaint against Simon, authorities released cell phone photos that Simon allegedly took while storming the Capitol and posted to social media.
On Wednesday, Jacob Lewis, the owner of a gym in Victorville, was arrested for taking part in the riot.
Last week, three Beverly Hills residents were arrested in connection with the storming of the Capitol. A 20-year-old Glendora man was also arrested for breaking a window during the riots.
Former USC swimmer and two-time Olympic gold medalist Klete Keller was also arrested after he was reportedly caught on video inside the Capitol Rotunda.
A Chapman University law professor who spoke at the pro-Trump rally just ahead of the riot agreed to retire after garnering significant criticism from his colleagues.
The pro-Trump rioters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 while the House and Senate was meeting to certify the Electoral College results. The rioters entered the House and Senate chambers and broke into several offices. One of the rioters, a woman from San Diego, was shot and killed by Capitol police, and two others died of medical emergencies.
Two Capitol police officers who responded to the breach also died. Officer Brian Sicknick died of injuries he sustained during the attack. Officer Howard Liebengood died of unknown causes while off-duty.
