Man charged with pinning officer during Capitol attack

Hartford (AP) — A Connecticut man seen in a widely viewed video pinning an officer with a riot shield during the attack on the U.S. Capitol has been charged with assaulting police officers, federal authorities said Wednesday.

Patrick McCaughey III, 23, of Ridgefield, was arrested Tuesday in South Salem, New York, on charges including assaulting, resisting or impeding officers, violent entry or disorderly conduct, and entering a restricted building or grounds.

McCaughey was scheduled to appear in a federal court in New York City on Wednesday. It was not immediately clear if he has a lawyer would could respond to the allegations. A message seeking comment was left at a phone listing for McCaughey.

Federal authorities said McCaughey struck several police officers with a clear, plastic riot shield inside the Capitol. Authorities said he also used the shield to pin Officer Daniel Hodges of the Metropolitan Police Department against a doorway; a video shows Hodges writhing in pain and another rioter beating Hodges after ripping off the officer’s gas mask. Hodges survived.

Police asked for the public’s help in identifying the attackers and released photos of a man later identified as McCaughey seen in the Capitol during the violence on Jan. 6. A witness came forward identifying McCaughey as the person in the photos.

“The vicious attack on Officer Hodges was abhorrent and quintessentially un-American,” acting District of Columbia U.S. Attorney Michael Sherwin said in a statement.