Justice Department charges Capitol Hill rioter who allegedly attacked and assaulted officer with pole

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In unsealed court documents Wednesday, federal prosecutors said Daniel Rodriguez used an “electroshock weapon” and pole to attack an officer named “MF” from the Washington DC Metropolitan Police Department. A police source confirmed to CNN that the initials refer to Fanone.

Fanone previously said he was repeatedly punched in the neck, beaten with a flag pole and heard rioters yelling that they should “kill him with his own pistol”, as they tried to remove his weapon from its holster. . Fanone said he begged the pro-Trump mob to spare him and suffered a Taser heart attack.

Rodriguez has been charged with eight counts arising from the Capitol uprising, including assault on an officer, theft of government property and disorderly conduct on the grounds of the United States Capitol with a deadly or dangerous weapon. A lawyer for Rodriguez is not on the court’s public register and he has not yet pleaded.

Prosecutors have indicted at least one other person allegedly involved in the assault on Fanone. Prosecutors said Thomas Sibick was seen on police camera footage assaulting Fanone as he lay on the ground outside the Capitol during the riot. During the brawl outside the Capitol, Sibick allegedly grabbed Fanone’s badge and radio, and he then posted a photo of himself holding a police shield on Facebook, according to court documents.

More than 345 people have been charged to date in connection with the Capitol uprising, including dozens who are accused of violent attacks on law enforcement. Around 140 police officers were injured during the riot.

The details surrounding the arrests stand in stark contrast to how former President Donald Trump sought to characterize the insurgency he helped incite.

The former president falsely claimed in an interview with Fox News last week that the pro-Trump mob that stormed the Capitol earlier this year in an attack that killed five people, including a police officer, posed “no threat”. He also claimed that some of the rioters “came in, and they are hugging and kissing the police and the guards.”
Terry Fanone, the officer’s mother, told CNN’s Don Lemon on “CNN Tonight” Monday that when she thinks about Trump’s recent comments, “What is going through my head is really outrageous.”

“For us, for our family and for every police officer I know Michael is in constant contact with, it’s outrageous. It’s so dehumanizing. It’s so demeaning, ”she said.

In addition to the heart attack, Fanone suffered a concussion on January 6 and is now battling traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder.

This story has been updated with an additional background.

CNN’s Mary Kay Mallonee and Devan Cole contributed to this report.

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