Trump fan jailed in Berkeley melee thanks ‘all my supporters’

Fresh from being released from jail, Kyle Chapman, an avid supporter of President Trump who was arrested for allegedly beating counterprotesters with a stick at a weekend rally in Berkeley, was videoed thanking supporters and praising them for their “love and the pursuit of freedom and liberty.”

Chapman, 41, of Daly City was one of 10 people arrested Saturday when fistfights broke out between Trump supporters, who staged the rally without a valid permit, and counterprotesters at Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park.

The names of those arrested were released Wednesday by police, who asked for the public’s help in identifying six more suspects.

Since his arrest, Chapman has become a cause celebre for some Trump supporters. On social media, he has taken to calling himself Based Stickman and says he is a “patriot that loves freedom and my fellow countrymen.”

Police officers detain a pro-President Donald Trump demonstrator, Kyle Chapman in Berkeley, Calif., on Saturday, March 4, 2017. Police officers detain a pro-President Donald Trump demonstrator, Kyle Chapman in Berkeley, Calif., on Saturday, March 4, 2017. Image 1 of / 22 Caption Close Trump fan jailed in Berkeley melee thanks ‘all my supporters’ 1 / 22 Back to Gallery

Videos on YouTube show him wearing a gas mask at the Saturday rally, holding a wooden shield and smashing a long stick down on the heads of counterprotesters as fisticuffs broke out.

Chapman was arrested on suspicion of felony assault with a deadly weapon (the stick) and carrying a concealed dirk or dagger.

Right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos posted a video on Monday of Chapman speaking on the day he was released from jail.

“Just want to let all my supporters know that I’m out and free,” Chapman, wearing a red baseball cap featuring “USA” in white letters, says in the video. “Thank you so much for all your support and love and the pursuit of freedom and liberty.”

The rally was one of several pro-Trump events nationwide and was held nearly a month after riots broke out at UC Berkeley on Feb. 1, causing the cancellation of a scheduled speech on campus by Yiannopoulos, a former editor for Breitbart News. The Saturday rally drew nearly 400 people, police said, but it appeared that most of the attendees were counterprotesters.

Attempts by The Chronicle to reach Chapman on Wednesday went unanswered. Rich Black, the organizer of the “March 4 Trump” rally, responded to The Chronicle’s request for comment with an email that read, “Take a hike.”

Also arrested Saturday were:

• Dustin Sawtelle, 39, of San Francisco; Nathan Perry, 33, of Modesto; and Jeffrey Armstrong, 32, of Oakland, all on suspicion of felony assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury.

• Jeremy Wilhite, 23, and Rackell Anzaldua, 20, both of Fremont, on suspicion of misdemeanor battery.

• Michael Hornsby, a 27-year-old Riverside resident, on suspicion of misdemeanor rioting, battery and providing false identification to officers.

• Nicholaas Molloy, 22, of San Bruno, on suspicion of misdemeanor obstruction and resisting a police officer.

A 17-year-old girl from Concord and a 16-year-old boy from Berkeley were also arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor battery. Their names were not released.

Charges are pending review of the cases by the Alameda County district attorney’s office.

Police did not distinguish who among those arrested were Trump supporters and who were counterprotesters.

In a report to the Berkeley City Council, Andrew Greenwood, the city’s interim police chief, discussed his department’s response to the melee after criticism mounted from both pro- and anti-Trump camps that officers didn’t do enough to curb the rampage.

Greenwood said there is no “one size fits all” plan for dealing with such incidents.

Police intervened when “conditions best favored the safety of all involved,” said Greenwood, adding that there was “extensive” planning with the Berkeley Unified School District, the Downtown Business Association, the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce, UC Berkeley police and others.

Attendees were armed with “weapons, shields, pepper spray, portable radios, smoke canisters, etc., wearing protective padding and helmets, and in at least one confirmed case, ballistic armor,” Greenwood wrote.

Because the fighting took place “in the middle of the group, and lasted a few seconds,” Greenwood said, it was difficult for police to identify the “primary aggressor.”

The organizers of the “March 4 Trump” event are planning to step out again in Berkeley for a rally on April 15.

Sarah Ravani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani