A New York man is accused of assaulting a metropolitan police officer and “forcibly” removing his badge and radio during the January riot at the United States Capitol.
Federal officials said the policeman, who is identified in court documents as MF, was assisting the Capitol police on January 6 when a riotous man pulled him into a crowd where he was “beaten, beaten and stolen” from his radio badge and 17 -round magazine.
Protesters also tried to “forcibly” remove the policeman’s gun from his holster, but were unsuccessful, according to a criminal complaint.
“While a hooligan tried to take the MF officer’s weapon, the MF officer heard him shouting words that he would take the MF officer’s gun and kill him,” the complaint said.
During the fight, the policeman passed out and was later taken to a hospital for treatment of injuries.
Photos released by the authorities show a hole in the official’s tactical vest, where his badge was “forcibly pulled out”. The attack was captured by his body’s camera and shows a person approaching the policeman and taking out his badge and radio.
Authorities identified the person in the video as Thomas F. Sibick of Buffalo, New York.
Sibick was accused of intentionally entering a restricted building, violent entry or disorderly conduct on the Capitol grounds, obstructing law enforcement, assaulting or impeding certain policemen and forcibly taking anything of value from a person.
According to the complaint, Sibick took the badge and radio back to Buffalo and buried the badge in his backyard.
The document states that FBI agents spoke to someone who said that Sibick posted a video of him on Instagram during the riot. In the footage, he said he was injected with tear gas, but “we’re going, baby, we’re going”.
He later posted a Facebook of himself holding a shield belonging to a Capitol police officer, according to the complaint.
In a January 27 interview with FBI agents, officials said Sibick acknowledged being on Capitol Hill on the day of the riot and described seeing two metropolitan police officers being attacked. He added that a group was trying to obtain one of the police’s weapons and threatened to kill him, the complaint said.
Sibick said he went to help the police, according to the document.
“Sibick stated that he tried to reach the policeman to drive him away, but he was unable to reach him and, at that point, he feared for his life and that of the policeman. Sibick also said that due to the violence, he decided to leave,” states the complaint.
During the same interview, he told agents that the Capitol Policeman’s shield was being passed through the crowd and he took a photo with him.
The officers conducted a follow-up interview with Sibick on February 23, after identifying him in the video of the police body’s camera.
“Sibick said he tried to help the police and remembered the badge coming out when he reached it. Sibick said he pressed the ‘orange emergency button’ as soon as he had possession of the radio to get help for the police,” the complaint said.
Sibick initially told agents that he dropped his badge and radio and left Capitol, but later said he took the items back to Buffalo, where he threw away the radio and buried the badge in his backyard. His lawyer, Alexander Anzalone, declined to comment.
Sibick was arrested and later released to house arrest at his father’s home after his appearance in federal court, according to NBC affiliate WGRZ.
