Maryland man Justin Lee is being removed from his position as a police officer with the Montgomery County Department of Police after facing serious federal criminal charges for alleged involvement in the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol — where he allegedly assaulted police! Lee became an officer afterwards. He is presently 25 years old.
Before the federal charges, he was already on leave after involvement in an incident in which an (armed) suspect was shot and killed. The subsequent investigation will continue. He was originally hired with that county police department in January of last year, and the shooting incident was in July of this year. In a prepared public statement, the department that hired Lee addressed potential concerns about its process of background checks, which clearly didn’t lead to any kind of revelation setting back Lee’s pursuit of employment.
“In light of Lee’s arrest, he has been suspended without pay, and the department is taking steps to terminate his employment,” the county police department said. “MCPD takes these matters seriously and is dedicated to taking decisive action when necessary. As a result, we are initiating a comprehensive review of our background investigation process to determine whether adjustments need to be made.”
The Justice Department did not initially provide publicly a document that lists the details of Lee’s alleged behavior at the Capitol, instead only including his indictment itself with a press release. The police department that hired Lee said they were informed he was implicated in FBI investigations (no doubt meaning the January 6 probes) in July, the same month he was placed on leave in connection to the separate shooting incident. Lee is not the first person involved at some point with police to also face charges connected to the January 6 riots. Thomas Webster, a former police officer in New York City, was eventually sentenced to 10 years in prison for offenses that also included assaulting police.
