Connecticut man charged with assaulting an officer during U.S. Capitol breach
Other rioters added weight against the officer, authorities said
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A Connecticut man who was captured using a police shield to pin a Washington D.C. police officer against a doorway as rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol has been arrested, authorities said Wednesday.
Patrick Edward McCaughey III, of Ridgefield, was taken into custody Tuesday night and charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers or employees; civil disorder; entering a restricted building or grounds and violent entry or disorderly conduct.
A video of the Jan. 6 incident appeared to show McCaughey, 23, at the front of a large group of supporters of former President Donald Trump attempting to break through a line of uniformed police officers trying to prevent rioters from entering the lower west terrace door of the Capitol.
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Patrick Edward McCaughey was arrested and charged in connection with using a police shield to pin a law enforcement officer against a doorway as rioters were attempting to storm the U.S. Capitol, authorities said. (Justice Department)
Authorities said McCaughey used a clear police shield to pin Officer Daniel Hodges against the doorway. Other rioters appeared to add weight against the officer, authorities said. Images show Hodges appearing to scream in pain.
At one point, a rioter ripped off Hodges' gas mask, exposing his bloodied mouth.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Even after days of seeing so many shocking and horrific scenes from the siege on the U.S. Capitol, the savage beating of D.C. Metropolitan Police Officer Hodges stands out for the perpetrator’s blatant disregard for human life," said Steven D’Antuono, assistant director in charge of the FBI Washington Field Office. "Patrick McCaughey’s actions were violent, barbaric, and completely out of control."
A witness who has known McCaughey since they were children contacted the FBI to point him out as the suspect pictured in images released by authorities.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The incident was posted to YouTube. Investigators also found images of McCaughey in and around the Capitol during the deadly siege the resulted in five people dead.
A New York federal judge on Wednesday ruled that McCaughey be detained.
"What you see in that video from this defendant is extraordinarily disturbing. Mr. McCaughey pinned officer Hodges, again for a couple of minutes," the judge said. "We are talking about violent criminal offense. The nature and circumstances of the offense absolutely support detention here on the basis of danger to the community."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}His next court hearing is scheduled for Feb. 2 in Washington.
McCaughey is one of more than 100 people charged so far in the attack. A spokesperson for the police department told Fox News last week that Hodges was doing "fine" in the days after the attack.