Storm on US Capitol: Jury finds former police officers guilty

Created: 04/12/2022, 12:40 p.m

By: Lukas Zigo

A Washington DC court has convicted a former Virginia police officer on all six counts of his actions in the Capitol storm.

Washington DC – Supporters of ex-US President Donald Trump* who were cheated of their alleged election victory gave the world on January 6, 2021 dystopian images from the US capital that would have been daring even for a Hollywood film.

About 1000 insurgents stormed the US Capitol and wanted to prevent the confirmation of President-elect Joe Biden*.

As US media reports, a former police officer has now been found guilty in connection with the storming of the Capitol.

According to the jury of the Washington trial, the 49-year-old former police officer is guilty of all six counts of participating in the Capitol attack, as reported by the Washington Post and CNN on Monday (April 12, 2022 / local time).

The penalty will be determined at a later date.

So there is no date for this yet.

The ex-cop from the small town of Rocky Mount in the state of Virginia faced up to 20 years in prison, it said.

Storm on US Capitol: Police officers fired after Capitol storm

Supporters of the then President Donald Trump had stormed the seat of Congress in Washington * after an inciting speech by the voted-out Republican *.

They wanted to prevent the confirmation of the election victory of the Democrat Joe Biden.

The attack killed five people and injured dozens.

The attack on the heart of democracy in the USA* shook the country.

Supporters of ex-US President Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol building, where lawmakers were scheduled to confirm President-elect Joe Biden's victory in the November 2021 election.

© Miguel Juarez Lugo/dpa

The jury found the former police officer involved, among other things, obstructing Congress in the official process, clashing with the police during a riot and tampering with evidence.

He was also found guilty of trespassing and disorderly conduct in the Capitol.

After the attack in 2021, the officer and another colleague involved were fired.

Storm on US Capitol: Ex-cop disabled security officials

According to media reports, the public prosecutor's office relied on surveillance videos of the Capitol, which showed how the man and his former police colleague stormed the building with other Trump supporters.

In addition, police bodycam footage showed him - equipped with a gas mask and a three-foot wooden stick - standing in the way of security officials who were supposed to support the Capitol Police.

(lz/dpa)