Nothing to be Proud of
3 more goons cuffed in brawl
Cops on Monday grabbed three more “Proud Boys” suspected in a bloody brawl with far-left protesters after an event at the Republican Club on the Upper East Side.
That makes five members of the far-right, ultraconservative group who have been nabbed by cops for their role in the violent clash Oct. 12 outside the GOP’s Manhattan headquarters near E. 82nd St. and Park Ave.
Irvin Antillon, 41, of Jackson Heights, Queens; Maxwell Hare, 26, of Harrisburg, Pa; and Douglas Lennan, 40, of Northport, L.I., turned themselves in and were charged with riot and assault. Hare was also charged with weapon possession and gang assault.
“I would anticipate further arrests,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea said. “We’re not just looking at the Proud Boys but people on both sides. There is a variation in the charges depending on what’s on the video.”
Hare charged members of the left-wing group before an Antifa member threw a bottle at the Proud Boys, Assistant District Attorney Jamie Kleidman said Monday night.
“He was the first individual to charge Antifa. Then he threw the first punch,” she said. “He was one of the mob who violently climbed on top of (an Antifa member), pulled him to the ground, repeatedly striking him four times in the head.”
Hare continued to elbow, punch and stomp the Antifa member, even after someone in his own group tried to restrain him, Kleidman said.
Lennan dragged the Antifa member across the pavement while Hare was on top of him, Kleidman said. “He then kicked a second man and bragged about it afterward,” she said.
In court, Hare wore a Tshirt that read “America’s freedom. The right to keep and bear arms. 2nd Amendment non-negotiable,” alongside a large eagle. He smiled as he left the courthouse.
“Get out of my way,” he told reporters, his chest puffed out. He was freed after posting $35,000 bail.
At one point, Hare’s father walked up to a Daily News reporter and said, “Fake news!” then walked away. When the reporter approached him again to ask for comment, he refused, as Hare’s mother said, “Jesus saves.”
Defense lawyer Ronald Hart, who represented both Hare and Lennan, said Lennan’s arrest was “clearly a case of mistaken identity.”
Lennan appeared cleanshaven in court. Photos of him released by police showed him with a beard. He was freed on $3,500 bail.
Antillon did not make his $3,502 bail. He was charged with riot and attempted assault. Prosecutors said he attacked three Antifa members. But his lawyer said he was “acting in his own defense and the defense of others.”