Getty Pro-Trump supporters storm the U.S. Capitol following a rally with President Donald Trump on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC. Trump supporters gathered in the nation's capital today to protest the ratification of President-elect Joe Biden's Electoral College victory over President Trump in the 2020 election.
David Blair of Clarksburg Maryland was among those arrested in a siege on the US Capitol and faces charges for allegedly assaulting a police officer.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced a slew of arrests following the January 6, 2021 protests, including Jacob Anthony Chansley, aka Jake Angeli, of Arizona, and Adam Johnson of Florida. Authorities said Chansley was the man who appeared in the Capitol wearing a horned helmet and red, white and blue face paint, and Johnson was the man pictured carrying Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s lectern.
Blair, 26, apologized to police, according to his charging documents. He said he brought a knife because he was scared of Antifa.
Here’s what you need to know:
Blair Told Officials He Was ‘Being an Idiot’ After Allegedly Assaulting an Officer With a Lacrosse Stick
The Capitol Police have handcuffed people in wheelchairs and praying clergy, yet arrested only 14 people after Wednesday’s mob attack.
Blair, whose full name is David Alan Blair, faces a misdemeanor charge of assaulting a law enforcement officer for allegedly attacking police officer Marvin Haiman, according to the statement of facts filed in his case. The charge was filed against him Thursday, January 7.
The alleged assault occurred at about 5:45 p.m. Eastern time, where officers were clearing the area of protesters about three hours after the breach of the Capitol, court documents filed in his case said. Metropolitan Police Department officers were pushing back a line of protesters when Blair allegedly began hitting officers with a “lacrosse type stick.”
Blair was hit with batons, taken to the ground and handcuffed. Police said Blair was never hit in the head.
He was taken to the hospital for treatment of a head injury. While waiting for an ambulance to take him to the hospital, police asked him what happened.
Blair reportedly responded he was “being an idiot, pumped up and didn’t move back.” He said he will “accept everything” and said “I’m sorry.”
Blair said he was hit four times.
He further said he had a knife because he was scared of Antifa.
“I had a knife in my bag because I was scared of Antifa jumping me on the way back,” he said, according to court documents.
Blair was treated at the hospital and released the next day.
Blair Was Among 43 People Arrested in the Capitol Siege as of Saturday, January 9
Journalist Marcus DiPaola on covering the U.S. Capitol riots: “Normally when I cover D.C. protests, I see countless park police, Secret Service, Metro PD mixed in with Capitol police and on that specific day when the rioters took the Capitol – they were nowhere to be found.”
There were 43 people arrested in the siege on the US Capitol as of Saturday, January 9, 2021, according to The Program on Extremism at George Washington University.
“The Program on Extremism at George Washington University provides analysis on issues related to violent and non-violent extremism,” its website says. “The Program spearheads innovative and thoughtful academic inquiry, producing empirical work that strengthens extremism research as a distinct field of study. The Program aims to develop pragmatic policy solutions that resonate with policymakers, civic leaders, and the general public.”
The program launched a webpage to track arrests related to protests at the US Capitol building.
“In keeping with our tradition of providing primary source documents to the research community and the public at large, The Program on Extremism has launched a project to create a central database of court records related to the events of January 6, 2021,” the web page says. “This page will be updated as additional individuals are charged with criminal activities and new records are introduced into the criminal justice system.”
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