Trump Crazed Jan 6 Rioter Tracked Down & Arrested After 17 Months

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The Justice Department is continuing to arrest individuals for their participation in last year’s Trump-incited attack on the Capitol, even as the time since that attack grows. Now, 47-year-old Rhode Island man Bernard Joseph Sirr has been arrested after authorities determined he participated in stand-offs between rioters and police around the tunnel area of the Capitol’s Lower West Terrace.

According to a federal criminal complaint, Sirr is now charged with obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder, entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds, impeding passage through the Capitol grounds or buildings, and perpetrating an act of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings. The civil disorder offense is a felony.

“At approximately 2:42 p.m., rioters began entering the tunnel and ambushing the officers,” a court filing in Sirr’s case states, discussing the situation in that Lower West Terrace area at the Capitol on the day of the riot. “The rioters broke the glass and forced the doors open. In response, the USCP and MPD officers formed a police line blocking that entrance to the U.S. Capitol building. From approximately 2:42 p.m. and on, numerous rioters were consistently attempting to breach the police line that formed in the tunnel. The rioters used various weapons, as well as the force of their bodies, in an attempt to overcome the officers.” Weapons rioters employed included various thrown objects, batons, lights meant for disorientation, electrical shock devices, and chemical sprays.

Sirr avidly participated in what went on there. He both pushed on rioters in front of him as those rioters assaulted police and directly confronted officers, pushing on a shield. The point of the pushing on fellow Capitol mob participants would have been in part to increase pressure on the officers as the rioters tried to force their way into the building. “From approximately 20:46 – 21:03 of the video, SIRR is seen with the group of rioters as they continue to assault members of law enforcement,” that court filing states, referencing a video showing some of what happened. “During this portion of the video, the group of rioters can be heard chanting “heave! ho!” in unison as they move back and forth together as a team against the police.” Sirr left the Lower West Terrace tunnel area but returned about an hour later, suggesting he was actively participating in the violence for awhile.

It’s that area where D.C. Metropolitan Police Department officer Daniel Hodges was pinned by the advancing crowd and left in pain, as shown in a widely circulated piece of footage from the day’s violence. A member of the mob who assaulted Hodges has been arrested: Steven Cappuccio, whose charges included assaulting law enforcement, obstruction of an official proceeding, and civil disorder. “Cappuccio can be seen grabbing the officer’s mask and yanking on it with what appears to be a significant amount of force,” authorities said. The referenced officer is Hodges. “Cappuccio is further seen with a baton as he pulled on the officer’s mask. Footage of this event shows the officer crushed in between a doorway and riot shield, without his gas mask, while screaming and yelling for help with his mouth bloodied.” Cappuccio took the baton from Hodges and assaulted the officer with it. Hodges has been publicly vocal about his experiences that day.

Featured image via Brett Davis, available under a Creative Commons license