Police officers were beaten with whatever protesters took with them, according to court documents, including an American flag and a fire extinguisher. Fights near broken glass caused scratches and bruises. Some rioters threw punches, while others threw verbal insults at the police.
The Federal Public Ministry has already charged dozens of people who allegedly participated in the riot, but the most serious charges were against people involved in attacks on police. And the hundreds of pages of newly opened court documents tell a terrible story.
A Texas resident facing charges allegedly incited the crowd before entering the Capitol through a broken window. He yelled into a megaphone: “If you have a gun, you need to get your gun” and “this is not a peaceful protest,” according to court documents.
Prosecutors say a retired Pennsylvania firefighter, Robert Sanford, 55, threw a fire extinguisher at a group of police officers on the Capitol’s west terrace. The extinguisher hit three policemen in the head, including one who was later sent to the hospital for medical evaluation.
Sanford’s attorney did not respond to the request for comment. He told the Associated Press that his client was “caught up in the mafia mentality”.
In another incident, Arkansas resident Peter Stager assaulted a DC officer with a flagpole holding an American flag, according to prosecutors. Court documents describe an agonizing scene in which the policeman was dragged to the ground and surrounded by protesters.
Hand-to-hand combat
Some participants in the riot were armed with bear spray and other weapons. Others simply wandered around the building and gaped at the statues. But for the first time since the War of 1812, federal forces within the Capitol found themselves engaged in hand-to-hand combat.
A defendant, Mark Leffingwell, of Seattle, is said to have been involved in a fight with the police.
“Leffingwell tried to pass me and other officers,” wrote US Capitol police officer Daniel Amendola in a sworn statement the day after the insurrection. “When he was prevented from moving further into the building, Leffingwell punched me repeatedly with a closed fist.”
A Leffingwell lawyer did not respond to a request for comment.
Another troublemaker warned police inside the Capitol that they should withdraw if they did not want to be hurt by the approaching crowd of Trump supporters, according to court documents.
The footage from the camera included in a criminal complaint showed the perspective of police officers who were surrounded by dozens of protesters. According to court documents, some of the protesters shouted “f — the police”, although many carried “thin blue line” flags, which are associated with groups that normally argue that law enforcement is unfairly attacked by liberals .