US Capitol riot aftermath
Ridgefield man charged in connection with attack on officer.
A 23-year old man from Ridgefield is accused of being part of a group that violently assaulted a police officer during what federal authorities describe as a coordinated effort to break through one of the U.S. Capitol entrances during the violent attack on Congress on Jan. 6.
Patrick Edward McCaughey III is accused of being at the front of one of the mobs that stormed the Capitol and bloodied Washington, D.C. police officer Daniel Hodges, who had been called to the Capitol to support the overwhelmed U.S. Capitol Police. McCaughey is charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers or employees; civil disorder; entering restricted building or grounds; and violent entry or disorderly conduct.
“The vicious attack on Officer Hodges was abhorrent and quintessentially un-American,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Michael R. Sherwin, whose office is directing the continuing investigation of the Capitol disturbance. “It is my pledge that anyone involved in violent attacks on law enforcement at the U.S. Capitol on January 6 will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. McCaughey’s alleged actions were an assault on Officer Hodges, the Capitol, and the rule of law itself.”
A video recording of what amounted to an assault on the Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump shows McCaughey at the front of a large group of rioters attempting to break through a defensive line of uniformed law enforcement officers who had positioned themselves to prevent rioters from entering the lower, west terrace door of the U.S. Capitol. Hodges was at the front of the police defense.
Charging documents filed in federal court assert that McCaughey and other Trump supporters used police riot shields and batons to battle their way through the police
perimeter. Unidentified “rioters” can be heard on a YouTube recording obtained by authorities yelling “we need fresh patriots at the front” and “we need fresh people.” They can also be heard organizing a “shield wall’ to protect themselves from law enforcement pepper spray.
McCaughey, who has light brown, shoulder length hair and was wearing a hooded sweatshirt and tinted glasses, used a police shield to pin Hodges against the terrace door, according to authorities.
“Officer Hodges appeared to be loudly crying out in pain. As Officer Hodges was being pinned to the door by McCaughey, a separate rioter was violently ripping off Officer Hodges’ gas mask exposing Officer Hodges’ bloodied mouth,” a federal law enforcement affidavit asserts.
“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 M. D’Antuono, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office. “Patrick McCaughey’s actions were violent, barbaric, and completely out of control. The FBI will relentlessly pursue individuals who took part in this activity and we will continue our unwavering commitment to ensure all those responsible for assaults on law enforcement officers are brought to justice.”
McCaughey was taken into custody Tuesday night, on a warrant issued by Sherwin’s office, a short distance from his home in South Salem, N.Y., where a family member lives. He is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in White Plains Wednesday afternoon and more information could be available then.
He is one of more than 100 charged so far in connection with the attack on the Capitol that shut down Congress and caused five deaths.
The charging documents show that federal authorities are taking extraordinary steps to track down Capitol rioters — and they are often assisted by self-congratulatory videos taken by the rioters and distributed across social media.
The FBI attached a portion of video featuring McCaughey to a widely distributed plea for public assistance in making an identification. Within days, a person who had known McCaughey from childhood called the FBI and provided the identification. Among other things, the friend said McCaughey had told his circle of friends of his participation in events at the Capitol on Jan. 6 and he sent them four photographs and a video taken at the Capitol. One was a “selfie” showing McCaughey on scaffolding at the Capitol’s west front.
Video recordings made by Capitol Police surveillance cameras or made by other rioters and posted on the Internet provided more evidence of McCaughey’s participating in events, according to f ederal charging documents. Police footage shows him climbing the scaffolding. Another video captures him speaking with another alleged rioter and revealing that he lives in Connecticut.
“Thank you for your service,” the alleged follow rioter from Texas tells McCaughey.
““I’m not doing anything,” he replies. “I’m just a regular person like everybody else here.”
As members of the crowd around him passes police shields over his head and on to others, McCaughey says, “this is our building.” Asked who is is and where he is from, McCaughey hesitates before replying, “Connecticut, Connecticut.”
“It should be noted that McCaughey’s listed home address with the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles is in Ridgefield, Connecticut,” the charging documents say.