WASHINGTON — Men beat Capitol Police officers with their own batons before dragging a DC Police officer into a violent mob in new body camera video released from the ongoing January 6 investigation.
The videos were entered into evidence against two men, Jack Wade Whitton of Georgia and Jeffrey Sabol of New York, and released to WUSA and a coalition of other newsrooms on Friday.
In the footage, a DC Police officer identified in court documents as "A.W." can be seen being beaten with objects, including a metal crutch, before being dragged into the mob. One of his fellow officers is eventually able to wade in and pull him to safety.
In other clips, rioters can be seen grabbing batons from officers and then repeatedly assaulting them with them. In another portion of the footage, a man prosecutors have identified as Michael Joseph Foy, can be seen attacking police over and over again with overhead strikes from a hockey stick.
At least five men, including Sabol and Whitton, have been charged in connection with the attack on three officers identified as "A.W.", "B.M." and "C.M."
Prosecutors say two of the MPD officers, “B.M.” and “A.W.,” waded into the crowd trying to save someone they heard “was being trampled.” That’s when, prosecutors allege, “Whitton began striking at B.M. with a crutch.” The court documents allege Whitton grabbed at the officer “by the head and helmet” then dragged him down the steps in a prone position, over officer “A.W.” who still trying to hold the police line.
At that point, one of Whitton’s co-defendants, Peter Stager, is accused of beating the officer “with an American flag on a pole.” As that was happening, prosecutors say MPD body-worn camera video shows the officer identified as “A.W.” was also dragged into the mob, allegedly kicked by Whitton while he was down on the ground.
Prosecutors say officer “A.W.” was also struck with poles and stomped on by several other people.
Later on during the night of January 6, prosecutors say Whitton shared a photo of his bloody knuckles in a text message, writing, “This is from a bad cop... Yea I fed him to the people. Idk his status. And don’t care.”
Whitton, Sabol and three other men – Peter Francis Stager, Clayton Ray Mullins and Michael John Lopatic Sr. – were indicted in March on multiple charges, including civil disorder, engaging in physical violence in a restricted grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon and entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds. With the exception of Mullins, who was released into a high-intensity supervision program, all of the men remain in federal custody while they await trial.
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