Florida man arrested after federal authorities say he beat DC cop with a flagpole on January 6

• Mason Joel Courson, 26, was charged in connection with the assault of a police officer on January 6.
• He was arrested on Tuesday in Tamarac, Florida, earlier this week, the Justice Department said.

A Florida man accused of taking part in the beating of a police officer during the January 6 insurrection was arrested this week, the Department of Justice said Wednesday.

Mason Joel Courson, 26, was arrested in Tamarac, Florida, and charged on 24 counts — including using a deadly or dangerous weapon against a member of the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, DC, according to the federal indictment.

He is also accused of breaking through a police line and entering restricted grounds during the January 6 attack on the US Capitol by a pro-Trump mob that sought to block the certification of President Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 election.

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Courson is further charged using and carrying a weapon — "a stick, baton, flagpole, crutch, and reinforced gloves" — inside the US Capitol while former Vice President Mike Pence was in the building.

He was arrested Tuesday and is currently being detained after a court appearance Wednesday in South Florida.

More than 725 people have now been charged in connection with the January 6 insurrection.

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