Anthony Brennan III Apologizes As Additional Details From The Maryland Park Assault Emerge

Maryland resident Anthony Brennan III has apologized after being arrested for assaulting three young adults on June 1 in a park. A video of the incident went viral and Brennan was arrested on Friday night.

According to WTOP News, Brennan’s attorney released a statement right after the Maryland man’s arrest. Brennan, 60, is cooperating with the investigation and acknowledged that his behavior in the incident was “abhorrent.”

“I am sick with remorse for the pain and fear I caused the victims on the trail, and online,” Brennan’s statement detailed.

Brennan was riding his bicycle along the Capital Crescent Trail when the incident occurred. As the encounter with the three young adults played out, he called them “deviants” and accused them of causing riots.

The Washington Post shared details from the charging documents. The documents indicated that when Brennan first encountered the trio on the trail, he slowly rode by them on his bicycle. He circled back and asked to see the flyers, seemingly in a friendly tone. Things took a sudden turn from there though.

One of the 19-year-old women ended up with bruises and scratches on her arm after Brennan yanked a roll of blue painter’s tape off of it. He tried to pull a handful of flyers from the other 19-year-old woman, grabbing her forearm, and an 18-year-old male was shoved by Brennan’s bike.

It did not take long for Brennan’s name to be provided to the authorities as a possible suspect. Several neighbors of his, who knew he was a regular bicycle rider, contacted the police. Apparently, more than one person who had known him for more than 15 years recognized him and contacted the authorities, too.

From there, investigators pulled Brennan’s photo from Maryland’s Motor Vehicle Administration. Recognition software indicated that Brennan was a match to the bicyclist and authorities began to surveil his home.

Authorities first made contact with Brennan as he rode in a vehicle with his son to go to a church. He was apparently seeking spiritual guidance regarding the incident. When approached, he first said he didn’t know why they wanted to talk to him. It seems that at another point during the discussion, he said that his attorney told him not to discuss the subject.

As the day progressed, however, Brennan began to cooperate. Authorities did a consensual search of Brennan’s home, and he showed them where the clothing and bicycle accessories from the incident were. Police recovered items seen in the video including the shoes, bandana, shorts, sunglasses, and water bottle.

Brennan revealed that he had hidden his bike helmet under the front porch, and he had tossed the cycling shirt. He had stashed his bike several blocks away behind an office building.

He posted a bond of $5,000 early on Saturday and was released. His son noted that Brennan has had some struggles over the years but insisted he is a good man.

“He, like all of us, has work to do understanding racial injustices,” Brennan’s son acknowledged.

Brennan has been charged with three counts of second-degree assault. He could face up to 10 years in prison for each count.