‘We Have a Right to Fight’: Capitol Rioter Accused of Attacking Cops With Poles

Mark Ponder—who was recorded on video “striking a uniformed officer with a thin, long pole”—is one the latest rioters at the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection to be arrested, federal prosecutors revealed Wednesday. After failing in his first attempt to attack an officer, he allegedly ran towards another group of cops wielding a thicker, red, white, and blue-striped pole. A video shows him “alternatively running toward the officers, then running away from the officers, all while swinging and striking at the officers with the red-white-blue pole,” according to court documents. Ponder was initially detained on Jan. 6, but the arrest was not finalized and he was released without charges because a transport vehicle was unavailable at the time. “When our country is being attacked, like we are, we have a right to fight…that is what the Second Amendment was built on,” Ponder told other rioters as he was being detained. He also lectured officers, “You know, deep in your heart, that your fathers, your grandfathers, they fought for this freedom in which people are giving away. The thing is, at some point you are going to have to choose and make up your mind what side you are going to take.”