Kyle Chapman, a prominent member of the far-right who lives in the Bay Area, was arrested in Oakland on July 3 and is being held in Alameda County's Santa Rita Jail without bail on charges that he assaulted a man in a Texas bar fight one year ago.
A Travis County judge issued a warrant for Chapman's arrest in March of this year following an investigation of the bar fight. Since then, Chapman has been a fugitive from justice.
Chapman rose to prominence following several violent protests in Berkeley in March 2017. During one of the rallies, Chapman was videotaped hitting several people over the head with a large wooden cane. After the attack, his followers nicknamed him "Based Stickman," and Chapman has turned his violent reputation into a profitable brand by selling his own line of clothing and appearing at pro-Trump and anti-immigration rallies around the country.
Last August, the Alameda County District Attorney charged Chapman with possession of a leaded cane for his actions in Berkeley. He has pleaded not guilty to the felony allegation.
On July 1 last year, Chapman was in Texas for the "Texans for America Freedom" rally at the State Capitol in Austin. Chapman was a featured speaker at the event.
After the protest, Chapman ended up at the Dirty Dog Bar, one of many nightclubs on Austin's busy 6th Street party district.
According to court records, at about 1:30 in the morning, Chapman was shoving people in a "mosh pit" when he got into an altercation with another bar patron. An Austin police detective wrote in a affidavit that Chapman punched the other man and then hit him across the face with a wooden bar stool.
The detective interviewed a witness who described Chapman's behavior at the bar as an "attempt to instigate" a fight. The witness said he saw Chapman punch the victim, and a second unidentified man who appeared to be with Chapman threw another punch.
eastbayexpress.com
