Feds Catch & Charge Insurrectionist Who Hit Police With Wood Planks

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A member of the riot mob at the Capitol who assaulted law enforcement there with a sheet of plywood has been captured and charged by federal authorities. Just this week, prosecutors unveiled their request for 44 months in prison for another Capitol rioter charged with assaulting police (and obstruction of an official proceeding), so those facing felony criminal charges along these lines can expect appropriately serious consequences. The newly arrested rioter is Joshua John Portlock, who wore (among other items) a beanie with a Proud Boys emblem on it at the Capitol. Portlock participated in pushing against officers in a tunnel at the Capitol, where Officer Daniel Hodges was infamously pinned and assaulted by the crowd.

A press release from the Justice Department explains how, at around 2:30 p.m. on the day of the Capitol assault, Portlock “and other rioters pushed and removed metal barriers supporting a line of officers from the U.S. Capitol Police and Metropolitan Police Department. Officers then established a perimeter line closer to the Capitol without the assistance of barricades. At this point, Portlock picked up a large piece of what appears to be plywood and pushed it against a group of law enforcement officers.” A short time later, Portlock “had moved to the Lower West Terrace tunnel, where he joined other rioters in attempting to push through a line of officers. He was in this area for approximately 15 to 20 minutes, assaulting and obstructing officers and assisting others in collectively using their body mass to push back the line of law enforcement,” per the press release.

After his initial arrest, Portlock was released ahead of a November 9 court hearing. He’s among nearly 200 rioters who are charged with assaulting police in some form and among over 650 rioters overall who’ve been charged for their part in the storming of the Capitol. Trump continues to justify what happened, seriously undercutting the legitimacy of any Republican claim of being pro-police. Trump recently said, in reference to his false election fraud claims, that the “insurrection took place on November 3, Election Day. January 6 was the Protest!” What he’s glossing over and offering an excuse for is the fact that scores and scores of officers were viciously assaulted on January 6, in addition to the other travesties that unfolded that day.