A soldier from the U.S. Army has been taken into custody in Hawaii for allegedly using a flagpole to strike a police officer during the attack on the U.S. Capitol over three years ago. Alexander Cain Poplin, aged 31 and a resident of Wahiawa, Hawaii, was apprehended at Schofield Barracks, an Army base near Honolulu on Tuesday. He was set to appear in federal court on Wednesday as per court documents unveiled on Wednesday
In February 2021, the FBI was tipped off about Poplin’s Facebook post detailing his involvement in the Capitol riot. Poplin’s post mentioned reclaiming “our house” and taking a stand, stated an FBI affidavit. In July 2024, an FBI agent interviewed Poplin’s military superior, who identified him in a photo wearing an Army backpack in a restricted area of the Capitol on January 6, 2021
During the “Stop the Steal” rally organized by then-President Donald Trump near the White House on January 6, Poplin joined other Trump supporters in the mob that later gathered at the Capitol while lawmakers were certifying President Joe Biden’s electoral win. Footage shows Poplin on the Lower West Plaza of the Capitol with an “Area Closed” sign in one hand and a blue flag on a flagpole in the other, repeatedly hitting a Metropolitan Police Department officer as per the FBI affidavit
Poplin faces a total of five charges, including felony counts of obstructing police during a civil disorder and assaulting or resisting police with a dangerous weapon. A lawyer representing Poplin at the Hawaii court hearing on Wednesday had not responded to requests for comment on the accusations
Following the Capitol riot, around 1,500 individuals have been prosecuted for federal crimes related to the incident. While many of the rioters were military veterans, only a few were on active duty on January 6. Around 140 police officers sustained injuries during the violent attack
