The FBI arrested a Connecticut man for allegedly assaulting a Washington, DC, police officer, who was seen in viral videos trapped between doors during the Capitol rebellion, officials said on Wednesday.
Patrick Edward McCaughey, 23, was taken into custody at about 7 pm Tuesday in White Plains, New York, and accused of assaulting a police officer, civil disorder and illegal entry, officials said.
At McCaughey’s first court hearing on Wednesday, a judge ordered him to be arrested without bail, citing the suspect’s danger to the community.
“What we see in that defendant’s video is extraordinarily disturbing,” said Judge Andrew Krause of the United States.
Assistant US Attorney Benjamin Gianforti said the images clearly link McCaughey to the disturbing attack on police officer Daniel Hodges.
“This video is crystal clear, you can clearly see the face of the defendant and the face of police officer Hodges as he screams in pain,” said Gianforti.
The suspect has been unemployed since the end of 2019 and lives with his parents, according to McCaughey’s defense lawyer, who had defended $ 150,000, which was denied.
The Justice Department criminal complaint says that McCaughey repeatedly told the police officer “go home” and “come on, man, you’re going to be crushed, go home” while he allegedly wore a police shield against the police during the sixth assault January to the US Capitol Building.
Despite the unbearable pain, Officer Daniel Hodges appeared to be during the attack, he later told reporters that he was happy to do his duty.
“If it hadn’t been my job, I would have done it for free,” he said. “It was an absolute pleasure to crush a white nationalist insurrection and we will do this as often as necessary.”
The prosecution document says McCaughey trapped Hodges’ body between the riot shield and the lower door of West Terrace while “a separate rowdy man starts violently tearing off Officer Hodges’ gas mask, exposing Officer Hodges’ bloody mouth.”
McCaughey was reportedly seen leaving the Capitol by security cameras after hitting other officers with the shield, the document says.
The messages left by NBC News to McCaughey and his family, on publicly listed phone numbers in Ridgefield, Connecticut, were not immediately returned early Wednesday evening.
Rioters, supporters of former President Donald Trump who had just attended a rally where Trump had spoken, surrounded the United States Capitol and delayed Congress’ formal acceptance of Electoral College votes that guaranteed Joe Biden’s victory.
“The violent attack on police officer Hodges was abhorrent and essentially anti-American,” said attorney general Michael R. Sherwin in a statement.
