A person accused of connection to the Capitol rebellion is being accused of assaulting a DC police officer and taking his badge to his New York home, where he allegedly buried him in his backyard.
Thomas Sibick is accused of grabbing policeman Michael Fanone’s badge and radio when the policeman was pulled into a crowd of protesters, where they beat him and gave him a stun gun, leaving him unconscious and in the hospital.
According to the FBI statement, “SIBICK stated that he tried to reach the officer to remove him, but was unable to reach him and, at that moment, he feared for his life and that of the officer. “
Sibick says that when he tried to pull the policeman, he accidentally tore his badge and just grabbed his radio so he could press the “orange emergency button” to get the policeman’s help, the lawsuit says.
Authorities say he originally told them that he threw the items away in a trash bin because he feared he would be arrested if he handed them over to the FBI, but then withdrew the statement and told the officer that he buried the badge in his backyard.
Sibick is facing several charges for his actions. A federal judge in the Western District of New York, allowed him to be released into home confinement, although the Department of Justice filed an emergency appeal against the decision, CBS News reported.
Sibick says he left the riot after the Fanone incident because of the violence.
Hundreds of people have been arrested since the riot, with federal authorities still investigating the January 6 events, which left five people dead.