Pardoned Jan. 6 Rioter Caught Secretly Touching Women’s Hair (Video)

A man who pleaded guilty over his role in the January 6 Capitol riot — and was later pardoned — is back in trouble after disturbing videos went viral online.

Bryan Betancur, 28, of Silver Spring, Maryland, was arrested Monday night and charged with assault and battery, Metro Transit Police confirmed. The charge is tied to an incident reported Sunday on a Silver Line train serving the Clarendon station in Arlington, Virginia. Police did not publicly confirm whether that specific case is the exact moment shown in the viral clips, but the timing set off immediate alarm on social media.

Over the last few days, multiple posts on X shared videos and screenshots that users said came from Betancur’s own livestreams. In the clips, a man is seen riding Metro trains and appearing to touch random women’s hair while filming in and around stations. One widely shared post included a screenshot of a message that appeared to claim a woman gave permission — but other posts pushed back hard, saying the behavior looked sneaky and unwanted.

One video shows a livestream from an account called “Bryan On Task,” where the person filming appears to reach out and touch a passenger’s hair while keeping the camera running.

Metro Transit Police first acknowledged the online uproar Monday, saying they were aware of videos “depicting inappropriate behavior toward Metro customers.” By Tuesday, they posted an update saying Betancur had been arrested and charged.

Betancur previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced in August 2022 to four months in prison plus a year of supervised release for charges connected to the Capitol riot. President Donald Trump later issued a sweeping pardon covering nearly all rioters, including Betancur.

Charging documents from Betancur’s Capitol riot case also contain serious allegations about his past statements. The documents describe him as a self-professed white supremacist and claim he made comments about carrying out a school shooting and researched mass shootings. Those claims were cited in the earlier case filings, not in the Metro arrest announcement.

Court records also indicate Betancur has prior convictions, including burglary and violating an anti-stalking order.

Metro Transit Police said anyone with information about Betancur or related incidents should contact the department at 202-962-2121, or text “MyMTPD” to 696873.