Egtvedt, who is accused of assaulting Capitol Police officers, was arrested on February 13 after officers were called to his brother’s house in Maryland because of an altercation. Egtvedt, according to prosecutors, was incensed about the impending inoculation, in part, because he believed it would alter his mother’s DNA.

His brother called officers because Egtvedt was “so unruly,” according to court filings, and the defendant reportedly told law enforcement he was “going to have to be arrested” before his mother got inoculated.

The COVID-19 vaccine has become a cultural flashpoint, with about 30 percent of the population opposed to being inoculated. Some are concerned about the speed at which it was developed and the potential side effects and misinformation on the vaccine has run rampant on social media.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) debunked the myth a vaccine could alter a person’s DNA and explained it doesn’t interact with DNA at all.

“The mRNA from a COVID-19 vaccine never enters the nucleus of the cell, which is where our DNA is kept. This means the mRNA cannot affect or interact with our DNA in any way,” the CDC wrote on its website.

Former President Donald Trump’s supporters are among the most hesitant group of Americans, which could pose a problem for America reaching herd immunity. Pollsters analyzing the most effective ways of communicating with them have found facts are the most powerful tool.

Along with believing an mRNA vaccine, such as Pfizer or Moderna, would genetically change his mom, prosecutors allege Egtvedt said vaccines would be fatal and were part of a government plan to control the population.

“He does not trust what the U.S. government is doing, and his actions and his words show that he will go to violent lengths to subvert actions done by the U.S. government,” prosecutors wrote.

His attorney, Kira Anne West, offered a different narrative of the events of that day and wrote in a court filing that he “calmly explained” to officers his “reservations about the vaccine and the danger it posed to his mother.”

Egtvedt was reportedly seen on video inside the Capitol and a criminal complaint alleges he “rushed” an officer while screaming at her to “shoot him.” On at least three occasions, prosecutors allege he “fought” with officers, swinging his fists and grabbing their arms.

The defendant was ordered to remain in custody until his trial, but West is pushing for Judge Christopher R. Cooper to reconsider and release him pending his trial. She argued that pretrial detention should be the “exception” and not the norm.

Her client was the victim, not the perpetrator of the violence with the officers, according to West, who argued footage shows officers “pushing and pulling him offensively.”

“The government has completely overreached and exaggerated the facts in an attempt to bolster their claim that detention is appropriate,” West wrote. “Now, it appears the government is detaining individuals based on what goes on in their private lives that involve no violence or threat of violence.”

If convicted, he could face up to more than a decade in prison.

Newsweek reached out to Kira Anne West for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.