Proud Boys Member Arrested On Assault Charges After Trump Told Hate Group: 'Stand By'

A prominent member of the Proud Boys was arrested Wednesday in Portland, Oregon — less than a day after President Donald Trump publicly threw his support behind the hate group.

Alan James Swinney, 50, faces numerous charges , including felony assault and unlawful use of a weapon.

Video and photos show Swinney pointing a gun at protesters with his finger on the trigger during an Aug. 22 clash in Portland between far-right extremists and anti-fascist protesters. At the time, police did nothing .

But now, Swinney is being held in the Multnomah County Jail on six felony charges, including assault in the second degree and unlawful use of a weapon.

Though it wasn’t immediately clear if the arrest was connected to the Aug. 22 incident, Swinney also faces six misdemeanor charges including pointing a firearm at another person. The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately return a request for comment. 

During the first presidential debate between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday night, Trump refused to condemn white supremacy and instead specifically endorsed the violent gang.

“Proud Boys, stand back and stand by,” Trump said.

Almost immediately, Proud Boys members began celebrating Trump’s apparent approval of their violent methods. 

“Trump basically said to go fuck them up,” Joe Biggs, a leader of the Proud Boys, said in a chat  on the right-wing social media app Parler. “This makes me so happy.” 

Swinney felt comfortable addressing his violent tactics in leaked chats provided to HuffPost in 2019 .