DC Police Officer Daniel Hodges
NBCWashington
A Connecticut man was arrested on charges of assaulting a police officer, whom he arrested between two doors, during the January 6 riot by Trump supporters at the U.S. Capitol.
Patrick Edward McCaughey III, 23, of Ridgefield, repeatedly told Capitol Policeman Daniel Hodges “go home” and “come on man, you’re going to be crushed” while trapping Hodges between a riot shield McCaughey was holding and the doors, he said a criminal complaint.
While McCaughey was doing this, another rowdy “started violently tearing off Officer Hodges’ gas mask, exposing Officer Hodges’s bloody mouth,” said the complaint filed in the US District Court in Washington, DC
Hodges is seen in a YouTube video of the attack screaming in pain as a group of supporters of then President Donald Trump pressured him, adding his weight to that of McCaughey.
McCaughey was spotted leaving Capitol later by security cameras, after hitting other officers with the riot shield, according to the complaint.
Hodges survived the attack, but another Capitol policeman was beaten by other protesters elsewhere and died a day later.
Hodges later told reporters about his effort to contain the crowd: “If it weren’t for my job, I would have done it for free.”
“It was an absolute pleasure to crush a white nationalist insurrection and we will do this as often as necessary,” said Hodges.
Patrick Edward McCaughey III as portrayed in a federal criminal complaint
Source: FBI Public Relations Office
McCaughey was arrested on Tuesday night by FBI agents in White Plains, New York, after someone called to tip him.
He was due to appear in federal court in Manhattan on Wednesday on charges of assault, resistance or impediment by certain officers or employees; civil disorder; entering restricted buildings or land; and violent entry or disorderly conduct.
McCaughey’s father, also called Patrick, hung up on a CNBC reporter when asked to comment on his son’s arrest.
The video of the Hodges attack went viral, as well as other shocking images of Trump supporters churning in and around the Capitol in their failed effort to prevent Congress from formally confirming the election of President Joe Biden. A joint session of Congress confirmed Biden’s victory the following morning.
“The violent attack on Officer Hodges was abhorrent and essentially anti-American,” District Attorney General of Columbia Michael Sherwin said in a statement.
“It is my promise that anyone involved in violent attacks against the police on the United States Capitol on January 6 will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. McCaughey’s alleged actions were an attack on Officer Hodges, the Capitol and the government of the law itself, “he said.
Steven D’Antuono, assistant director in charge of the FBI Washington Field Office, said: “Even after days of seeing so many shocking and horrific scenes from the siege of the United States Capitol, the savage beating of the DC Hodges Metropolitan Police officer stands out for the perpetrator’s blatant disregard for human life. “
“Patrick McCaughey’s actions were violent, barbaric and completely out of control,” he added. “The FBI will relentlessly pursue individuals who participated in this activity and we will continue with our unwavering commitment to ensure that all those responsible for assaulting police officers are brought to justice.”
Biden took office on Wednesday, hours after Trump left Washington without attending the inauguration, a highly unusual violation of presidential etiquette.
The House of Representatives last week accused Trump of inciting the crowd with his speech outside the White House, just before the attack on the Capitol. The Senate must hold a trial to determine whether Trump will be convicted and, possibly, to bar him forever from the federal post.