Biker Arrested In Attack On Students Posting Protest Flyers

BETHESDA, MD — After Twitter users wrongly accused multiple people — including a retired Montgomery County Police employee — of being the bicyclist who attacked activists on the Capital Crescent Trail, authorities have arrested a Kensington man in the assault. Anthony Brennan III was taken into custody on a District Court arrest warrant Friday evening.

Detectives from the Maryland-National Capital Park Police charged Brennan, 60, with three counts of second-degree assault, according to a news release.

The assaults occurred about 12:45 p.m on June 1 as a young man and two young women walked the trail near the Dalecarlia Tunnel and posted flyers about a call for community action. Brennan argued about the flyers and grabbed them from one of the victims, police said, then used his bicycle to knock down the man.

Park Police investigators received hundreds of tips that pointed to Brennan as the suspected attacker. Brennan and his attorney talked with police Friday, who were allowed to search his home and seize evidence.

When an arrest warrant was served Brennan turned himself into detectives.

"The Maryland-National Capital Park Police appreciates the courage and civic engagement of the victims who came forward in this matter," the department said in its release. "We thank the community for the abundance of tips and information shared."

On Friday afternoon, David Huchler, police chief for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, said on Twitter that the suspect "resembles a former MWAA employee."

MWAA told Patch that Brennan was never an employee and said the agency does not "plan on issuing any other statements on the matter."

As of Sunday afternoon, Huchler did not issue another statement on Twitter, clarifying that the former MWAA employee wasn't Brennan.

The Maryland-National Capital Park Police, the agency investigating the incident, did not describe Brennan's background when it released his name Friday evening.

More information to follow. https://t.co/ffZM43DSB0
— Park Police MC (@ParkPolice) June 5, 2020

Brennan is accused of attacking the three college students as they posted racial justice flyers on the trail.

"He was just cycling down the trail," one of the victims, who wished to remain anonymous, told Patch. "He videoed us on his first pass by, then stopped about 50 feet passed us and asked to see my signs, in a friendly tone. When I went to show him the signs he ripped them out of my hands and then started to go after my friends. That's when I started recording."

The video has been posted on Reddit, garnering more than 91,000 upvotes from users.

In the video, the man can be seen trying to yank a roll of tape off a woman's arm before using his bicycle to charge at the man who is filming.

The victim recording the incident said the man tried pinning him to the ground with his bike.

Since posting the video on social media, hundreds of users were convinced they identified the bicyclist as Peter Weinberg, a senior marketing director in Washington, D.C.

Weinberg then posted a police report on Twitter, clearing him of any wrongdoing.

Please reference the police report issued earlier today. I have been excluded as a suspect. @pweinberg pic.twitter.com/bhaHl2EB0f
— Peter Weinberg (@pweinberg) June 5, 2020

Social media users also thought the suspect was former Montgomery County police officer John Damskey.

Montgomery County police on Friday called those allegations "false."

Reports circulating on social media referencing a former MCPD employee as being the suspect in the Capital Crescent
trail assault are false. Additional information is forthcoming from the Maryland National Capital Park Police who are heading the investigation.
— Montgomery County Department of Police (@mcpnews) June 5, 2020