Trial begins for man accused in Metro hair touching assaults

WASHINGTON - A man accused of recording himself touching women’s hair on Metro is set to face a judge Wednesday. Bryan Betancur, a pardoned January 6 defendant, has been held in jail since April.

This is a non‑jury trial, meaning a judge will hear the evidence and decide whether Betancur is guilty of simple assault. The charge stems from videos that surfaced online earlier this year showing a man approaching women on Metro and touching their hair. Prosecutors say Betancur livestreamed the encounters on X.

Betancur was arrested in March and pleaded not guilty. He was initially released with GPS monitoring but later rearrested after prosecutors accused him of stalking a woman while out of jail. Court records say he repeatedly contacted her online and at one point livestreamed while looking for her outside the U.S. Supreme Court. That case is separate.

Betancur previously served four months in prison after pleading guilty in the January 6 Capitol riot but was later pardoned by President Trump.

Wednesday’s trial was postponed from last month after Betancur’s attorney requested more time to review evidence turned over by X. The judge will consider only the simple assault charge tied to the Metro incident.

Betancur is due in court at 9:30 Wednesday morning.