A Connecticut man has been arrested and charged for assaulting a police officer during the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol breach.
According to NBC News, Patrick Edward McCaughey was taken into custody by FBI authorities on Tuesday (Jan. 19). He is currently being charged with civil disorder, assaulting a police officer and unlawful entry.
McCaughey was seen in multiple videos using a police shield against Washington D.C. Police Officer Daniel Hodges, who was trapped between against a door as hundreds of pro-Trump supporters stormed the government building. He repeatedly told the cop “just go home” and “come on man, you are going to get squished, just go home.”
McCaughey allegedly pinned Hodges’ body between the lower West Terrace door and a riot shield as he cried out in pain. As the cop was restrained, “a separate rioter begins violently ripping off Officer Hodges’ gas mask, exposing Officer Hodges’ bloodied mouth,” according to charging documents.
“As McCaughey was using the riot shield to push against the officer, numerous other rioters behind and around McCaughey appeared to add to the weight against the officer,” states a news release from the United States Department of Justice. The rioter was later caught on the security cameras hitting other officers with the shield before leaving the U.S Capitol.
Although Officer Hodges was in excruciating pain during the attack, he later told reporters that he was happy to do his job. “If it wasn’t my job, I would have done that for free,” he said. “It was absolutely my pleasure to crush a white nationalist insurrection, and we’ll do it as many times as it takes.”
“The vicious attack on Officer Hodges was abhorrent and quintessentially un-American,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Michael R. Sherwin in a statement. “It is my pledge that anyone involved in violent attacks on law enforcement at the U.S. Capitol on January 6 will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. McCaughey’s alleged actions were an assault on Officer Hodges, the Capitol and the rule of law itself.”