- A federal statement alleges that the Proud Boys prevented the Capitol Police from sealing the tunnels.
- Security footage shows Proud Boys affiliates placing items under closing security walls.
- The Proud Boys are a far-right gang that operates in the United States. Members were seen in Capitol riots.
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While protesters breached the Capitol on January 6 to interrupt President Joe Biden’s election victory certification, the Capitol Police tried to protect members of Congress by sealing parts of the building’s underground tunnels, according to unsealed federal court documents at the Thursday.
According to a sworn statement by an FBI special agent, members of the Proud Boys group made efforts to ensure that the tunnels remained open for other rebels to come and go, using a variety of tools and objects.
The Proud Boys are a far-right gang that operates in the United States and is classified by the Southern Poverty Law Center as an “extremist group”. Canada, one of the United States’ closest allies, has declared the group a terrorist organization.
A member of the Proud Boys accused on Thursday, William Chrestman, can be seen on a newly launched security camera carrying a wooden club or ax handle for riots outside the Capitol wrapped in a flag. Photographs included in the federal court files show that Chrestman later brought the wooden bat into the building and used it to keep the metal barriers open.
William Chrestman, who the DOJ says is affiliated with the Proud Boys, can be seen tampering with a barrier using an ax handle or a wooden stick.
Department of Justice
Federal prosecutors say several other Proud Boys affiliates, including Louis Colon and Christopher Kuehne, joined Chrestman in his effort to prevent the walls from sealing the tunnels of the Capitol building. According to court documents, Kuehne prevented one of the metal barriers from closing with a strategically placed podium. Shortly after, prosecutors say Colon coordinated with Kuehne and placed a chair in the way of another barrier.
Christopher Kuehne and Louis Colon can be seen in the Capitol security camera footage preventing metal barriers from being lowered in the building’s tunnels.
Department of Justice
The federal testimony also alleges that Felicia Konnold, an associate of the group, tried to prevent the metal walls from closing by placing her body underneath.
According to the federal testimony, the actions of the Proud Boys inside the Capitol tunnels “were aimed at and served to prevent law enforcement from protecting areas of the Capitol against illegal participants.
Prosecutors claim that the Proud Boys’ affiliates in the riots coordinated their actions through the use of prominently orange tape on helmets, backpacks and hats to “identify people for a specific purpose”, but the markings are still under official investigation.
Despite efforts by Capitol police to keep out troublemakers, the electoral certification process was delayed and forced members of Congress to hide while the offices inside the building were looted. The rebels beat the Capitol Police with flagpoles, riot shields and other objects, resulting in traumatic brain injuries and broken spinal cord disks, The Washington Post reported, citing a president of the Capitol Police union.
An officer lost an eye, according to a report on former President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial on USA Today. A rowdy, Ashli Babbitt, was shot and killed by Capitol security.
It took four hours for Capitol to be declared safe and secure. The congress resumed the certification process shortly thereafter and officially concluded it overnight.
Read More: DC Comics ‘investigating’ Proud Boys for using their logo to announce a pro-Trump march in Washington
Proud Boys gang members typically use a combination of black and yellow for riots and protests, but social media records show that the group’s self-styled head, Enrique Tarrio, instructed members to dress differently to avoid suspicion.