Who Were the Capitol Rioters?

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

Last Friday the US Department of Justice issued a statement revealing that approximately 450 individuals have been arrested so far in the rioting that took place at the US Capitol on January 6th of this year, and the DOJ indicated in a court filing that it anticipates charging at least 550 people by the time its investigations are complete. 

In a story for CBS News, journalist Paulina Smolinski delved into the demographics of the people involved in the riots at the Capitol and came up with an array of interesting findings.  Here is just some of what she uncovered about who the rioters were:

• At least 50 of those arrested have connections to the US military.  While so far only one active duty military member has been identified, four are currently part-timers in the Army Reserve or National Guard, and at least 45 others had previously served in the military.  (Twenty-two served in the Marine Corps, 18 in the Army, two each in the Navy and Air Force - and one Army Special Forces "Green Beret.")
• At least 10 were current or former police officers.
• At least one active duty firefighter was involved in the riot as well as at least one retired firefighter.
• Those arrested have come from 45 states.  Texas is currently in the lead with 45 of its residents having been arrested, Florida is second with 39, and New York and Pennsylvania are tied for third with 37 arrests each.
• The average age of the 138 defendants whose ages are currently known is forty-two.  So far the youngest person arrested was 18, and the oldest was eighty.

Although the CBS piece did not address gender with regard to those attacking the Capitol, George Washington University's Extremism Program estimated the number of women involved at 14% of the total rioters.  Several early news articles on siege characterized it as "white male rage," and a very real threat to at least certain female members of Congress.

The charges facing the defendants are varied:

• More than 130 of the defendants have been charged with assaulting, resisting or impeding officers or employees - a number that included  more than 40 who were charged with using a deadly or dangerous weapon or causing serious bodily injury to an officer.  (An estimated 150 officers were injured in the attack, and one died during the rioting.  Seventeen officers still remain out of work due to injuries they received while protecting Congress and the Capitol during the rioting.)
• Approximately 30 individuals have been charged with conspiracy - including 16 Oath Keepers who have been indicted in one conspiracy case, and 16 Proud Boys who are facing charges in four separate conspiracy cases.
• More than 30 arrested so far have been indicted for destroying government property.
• Three defendants have been charged with carrying firearms during the attack, but a total of 39 have been accused of wielding "deadly or dangerous" weapons that were not firearms - including "tasers, tomahawk axes, crowbars, flagpoles, a knife, an ice axe, a firecracker, a stun gun, baseball bats, fire extinguishers, a wooden club, and chemical spray."

Many of the individuals who took part in the attack on the Capitol have been identified through tips from the public.  The FBI reports having received more than 270,000 media tips from individuals, and the agency is still seeking public support in identifying as many as 250 others who may have been involved in the criminal uprising of January 6th.

The government has issued over 900 search warrants, gathered 1,600 electronic devices, and watched over 15,000 hours of surveillance footage.  Everyone had their phones out filming, and now much of that fine video footage is being meticulously reviewed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other police agencies.  The government described this case in a court filing last March as likely to be "the most complex investigation ever prosecuted by the Department of Justice" - and that smacks of understatement!

The people who attacked the United States Capitol last January came from a wide array of backgrounds and they represented a variety of interests - but they were unified through purpose.  Some were more violent than others, but they were all there to disrupt the government and to stop Congress from certifying US election results.  They were attacking the institution of Congress as well as the democratic foundations on which our society was built. 

The people who stormed the Capitol were there to foment insurrection.  They were not tourists.