Right-wing trucker convoy leader arrested along National Mall in Washington DC
The leader of the trucker convoy that tried and failed multiple times to ensnare traffic around Washington DC was arrested on Wednesday after his group achieved mild success for the very first time.
Proud Boy member David “Santa” Riddell was arrested along the National Mall in downtown Washington DC early in the morning on Wednesday. The Daily Beast first reported that he faced two traffic citations as well as one arrestable offense: Failure to obey the commands of a police officer.
Several times throughout 2022, the group attempted to ensnare traffic around Washington DC in a manner reminiscent of the massive trucker protests that shut down Ottawa, Canada’s capital, over Covid-19 mandates. On Monday, the group finally succeeded in bringing traffic to a crawl on I-95. Though, due to the federal holiday, most government workers were not commuting to work that day.
According to reports, Mr Riddell was cited for slowing down traffic intentionally as well as obstructing an exit lane. A handful of convoy members staged a protest on the Mall throughout the day Wednesday in response to Mr Riddell’s arrest.
1776 Restoration Movement (ex People's Convoy) is staging a protest at the National Mall in Downtown DC. Leader David Riddell aka Santa was arrested this morning on warrants out of Maryland for blocking traffic on July 4th. The protest is still on going. #convoywatch #news #dc pic.twitter.com/RAKlWAnO6G
— NJEG Media (@NJEGmedia) July 6, 2022
During a morning protest near the National Mall, @DCPoliceDept arrested David Riddell, leader of the trucker convoy called the 1776 Restoration Movement.
1776 consists of members of the disbanded People’s Convoy which regrouped in May with fewer members & money in West Virginia. pic.twitter.com/IYDpQfFocl— Beatrice-Elizabeth Peterson (@MissBeaE) July 6, 2022
The convoy’s aims became unclear earlier this year when the majority of Covid-related restrictions disappeared nationwide; Joe Biden’s plans to enforce a vaccination-or-test mandate at larger businesses were ended by the courts, and Washington DC itself has ended both its mask and vaccination mandates for private businesses.
The group has also been long plagued by internal struggles and setbacks including a wave of Covid cases that struck the group in months past. In past attempts to ensnare traffic around the city members were reported on livestreams to have been spooked by random commuters on the beltway whom they wrongly assumed to be part of an antifa plot to disrupt their efforts.
It’s unclear if protests will continue following Mr Riddell’s arrest today.