Right-wing protester enters plea for weapon charge
Kyle Chapman, self-proclaimed ‘American Nationalist,’ is accused of felony possession
A man arrested after a violent Berkeley riot in March on suspicion of carrying a billy club entered a not guilty plea Tuesday morning in Alameda County Superior Court.
Kyle Chapman, 42, of Daly City, a self-proclaimed “American Nationalist” appeared out of custody Tuesday morning at the Rene C. Davidson courthouse in Oakland, after posting a previous $135,000 bail.
Chapman is accused of one felony count of possession of a leaded cane or billy club.
Last month, he was ordered to stay away from weekend protests planned at the Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park in Berkeley on Aug. 27. That day, about 4,000 protesters descended upon the park area, and 13 were ultimately arrested. So far, just one woman, Yesenia Mendez, 22, has been charged by the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office for that day’s protests for alleged assault on an officer.
Chapman posted on his social media pages Monday, asking for his supporters prayers for Tuesday’s court hearing. He’s also started an online donation page to support his travel and living expenses in counter protests to “fighting back against the thugs that continue to try and take our rights away.”
According to court documents, Chapman attended the “March 4 Trump” at Civic Center Park in Berkeley in March, which turned violent and yielded at least 10 arrests. In reviewing video from the event, police officer Darrin Rafferty said that he saw Chapman using pepper spray on protesters from the opposite side.
Chapman has prior felony convictions, including grand theft in San Diego County from 2001 and a 1993 conviction of felony robbery from Texas, according to court records.