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A Houston police officer, under investigation for being among the thousands who stormed the U.S. Capitol last week, has been placed on leave, officials said Wednesday.
Police chief Art Acevado said the officer – an 18-year-old veteran – will face a disciplinary review on Friday. Acevado said he received a complaint on Sunday that an officer from Houston could have been in Washington for Wednesday’s protest against President-elect Joe Biden’s electoral college victory, “which is their First Amendment right.”
But Acevedo said after contacting the FBI, a joint investigation was launched which determined that the officer also broke into the Capitol during the Jan.6 uprising.
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“This individual was determined to have indeed … entered the Capitol,” Acevedo told reporters. “There is no excuse for criminal activity, especially on the part of a police officer.”
Investigators believed the officer traveled to Washington alone. He has no previous disciplinary issues, the chief said.
Acevedo did not identify the employee, but in an interview with the Houston Chronicle, Tam Pham confirmed he was the agent. He declined to say if he had entered the Capitol.
“A lot of things happened that day,” Pham told the newspaper. “I was in the wrong spirit.”
Calls to Pham were not returned.
Acevedo said a resident emailed him a photo Sunday night showing the officer draped in a pro-Trump flag in Washington. The chief said he went to the officer’s Facebook page and confirmed that it was indeed a Houston cop.
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“I cannot tell you the anger I feel at the thought of a policeman and other policemen thinking that they are going to storm the Capitol,” Acevedo said.
He is “very confident” that the officer will face federal charges.
Appeals to the Houston Police Union were not immediately returned. Union leader Doug Griffith told The Chronicle he expects the officer to step down on Thursday.
“I am very disappointed,” Griffith said. “If the allegations are true, he deserves to be punished like any other person. It’s a crime. It was a crime to enter Capitol Hill – he must face punishment for it.”
Acevedo said he would be surprised if the officer attended the disciplinary hearing.
“He has an appointment with me on Friday. We’ll see if he shows up,” he said.
He declined to disclose further details, citing the ongoing investigation.
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Several law enforcement agencies – notably in Las Vegas, New York and Maryland – have launched investigations after being informed of the possible involvement of staff in the riot.
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