Right-wing trucker convoy leader arrested along National Mall in Washington DC

This is the latest setback for a group that failed to live up to its Canadian counterparts’ example

The People’s Convoy drives around Washington DC in March (AFP via Getty Images)

The leader of the trucker convoy that tried and failed multiple times to ensnare traffic around Washington DC was arrested on Wednesday after his group achieved mild success for the very first time.

Proud Boy member David “Santa” Riddell was arrested along the National Mall in downtown Washington DC early in the morning on Wednesday. The Daily Beast first reported that he faced two traffic citations as well as one arrestable offense: Failure to obey the commands of a police officer.

Several times throughout 2022, the group attempted to ensnare traffic around Washington DC in a manner reminiscent of the massive trucker protests that shut down Ottawa, Canada’s capital, over Covid-19 mandates. On Monday, the group finally succeeded in bringing traffic to a crawl on I-95. Though, due to the federal holiday, most government workers were not commuting to work that day.

According to reports, Mr Riddell was cited for slowing down traffic intentionally as well as obstructing an exit lane. A handful of convoy members staged a protest on the Mall throughout the day Wednesday in response to Mr Riddell’s arrest.

The convoy’s aims became unclear earlier this year when the majority of Covid-related restrictions disappeared nationwide; Joe Biden’s plans to enforce a vaccination-or-test mandate at larger businesses were ended by the courts, and Washington DC itself has ended both its mask and vaccination mandates for private businesses.

The group has also been long plagued by internal struggles and setbacks including a wave of Covid cases that struck the group in months past. In past attempts to ensnare traffic around the city members were reported on livestreams to have been spooked by random commuters on the beltway whom they wrongly assumed to be part of an antifa plot to disrupt their efforts.

It’s unclear if protests will continue following Mr Riddell’s arrest today.