Man guilty of simple assault for touching woman’s hair on Metro to be sentenced
WASHINGTON - A pardoned Jan. 6 defendant is set to be sentenced Thursday after being found guilty of simple assault in a case involving a woman on a Metrorail train.
Bryan Betancur was convicted after a day‑long trial in D.C. Superior Court, where Judge Anthony Epstein ruled prosecutors had proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Betancur assaulted the woman, identified in court documents as GC.
The ruling stems from a February incident in which Betancur filmed himself touching GC’s hair without her knowledge while riding the Red Line.
She testified the encounter left her feeling unsettled in public, saying it made her feel "more paranoid and more exposed."
RELATED: Pardoned Jan. 6 defendant found guilty of assault for touching woman's hair
Betancur, who appeared in court wearing an orange jumpsuit, showed little reaction as the verdict was read. He has been in custody since April 8.
GC told the judge she did not realize what happened until the video Betancur posted on Feb. 28 went viral and colleagues saw it on X.
Investigators from Metro Transit Police and the FBI used metadata from Twitter to confirm Betancur was the person in the video, even though his face was not visible. They also addressed whether touching someone’s hair can constitute assault when the victim is unaware, a point the judge ultimately recognized.
Prosecutors say they plan to seek more than the roughly 125 days Betancur has already served. He faces a maximum of 180 days in jail and is also facing separate stalking charges.
The Source: Information in this article comes from D.C. Courts and FOX 5 reporting.