Journalists arrested at inaugural protests charged with felonies
Six face 10 years in prison, $25,000 fine as U.S. Attorney’s Office continues to investigate
Six journalists await their legal fates after they were among the 230 people charged with rioting during the Inauguration Day events in downtown Washington.
The felony charge of “rioting or inciting to riot,” carries the potential for 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $25,000. The six were released the next day, each with preliminary hearings scheduled within the next two months.
All were near protests on streets not far from where — and at about the same time as — President Trump was being inaugurated Jan. 20 at the U.S. Capitol. News outlets showed smashed windows in businesses and vehicles in the area. Police charged those arrested with felony rioting, used when there’s property damage of $5,000 or more, or serious bodily damage.
According to police reports, protesters smashed out plate glass windows at businesses including Starbucks, SunTrust Bank and Wells Fargo Bank and destroyed a limousine. Damage caused was in excess of $100,000, police say, and some police officers were injured as protesters resisted arrest; one officer was taken to the hospital and has since been released.
“Based on the facts and circumstances, we determined that probable cause existed to support the filing of felony rioting charges,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia said in a statement about the 230 arrested.
The office, which enforces criminal laws in Washington, D.C., would not comment on the actions of the six journalists.
The journalists charged were: Evan Engel, a senior producer with online news site Vocativ; Alex Rubinstein of RT America, the Washington-based channel that is part of RT, the state-sponsored media outlet originally known as Russia Today; documentary filmmaker Jack Keller; independent live-streaming journalist Matthew Hopard; freelance journalist Aaron Cantú, who has written for Vice and The Guard
ian; and independent photojournalist Shay Horse.
The charges were first reported by U.K.’s The Guardian.
“These charges are clearly inappropriate, and we are concerned they could send a chilling message,” said Carlos Lauría, senior Americas program coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said it continues to review evidence and, “as in all of our cases, we are always willing to consider additional information people bring forward.”
“These charges are clearly inappropriate, and we are concerned they could send a chilling message.”
Carlos Lauría, senior Americas program coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists