A Virginia man identified by federal prosecutors as 21 years old was arrested in Washington, D.C., this Wednesday for his participation in last year’s Trump-incited Capitol riot.
The newly arrested rioter, Henos Woldemichael, was inside the Capitol building for some 30 minutes on the day of the chaos, and according to the Justice Department, he shoved a podium into police at one point that law enforcement apparently tried to use as part of their physical barricades against rioters that day. Other items unsuccessfully used by police in the earlier parts of the afternoon in attempts at physically containing the crowd were metal bicycle racks. According to a profile on LinkedIn that seems to belong to Woldemichael, which features his name and is tagged with the Virginia town where the department says he lives, he works as a cable technician with MasTec Advanced Technologies, a job he started in August.
He is now charged with a series of federal criminal offenses including interfering with police during a civil disorder — in what sounds like one of the most literal ways possible, which is a felony carrying up to five years. As in other rioters’ cases, Holdemichael was apparently exuberant about his involvement in what happened — at least prior to charges. “See grandkids, this is what it’s all about. This is why you’re free. All these great patriots,” he said on a video he filmed there. In a clip spotlighted by journalist Ryan Reilly, Holdemichael says: “I know my rights, and I’ll stand for them until the day I die.” The clip, in which the defendant identified himself by his first name, essentially chronicling — in great detail — his involvement in criminal activity, was filmed by a fellow rioter and seems to depict Holdemichael suffering the effects of tear gas. Inside the Capitol, Holdemichael also “moved to the Crypt and other areas, including the office of Senator Jeff Merkley, where he knocked over a lamp,” authorities say.
In other riot-related news, a participant in the mob who prosecutors originally wanted sent to jail for nearly five years received no time in jail at all — just home detention and probation — due to concerns about his autism. For the rioter, Nicholas Rodean, his “health struggles were largely discussed under seal during his nearly two-year criminal case,” as reported by POLITICO, but these difficulties — and the issues they could pose in prison — were essentially front and center during his sentencing proceedings, where he expressed remorse. “Autistic people do not fare well in prison,” Rodean’s sister told the judge on Wednesday. Trevor McFadden, a Trump nominee on the D.C. federal bench who has handled numerous riot-related proceedings, imposed Rodean’s sentence.
