WASHINGTON — A Connecticut man was Monday on felony charges alleging he repeatedly assaulted police with a baton, pole and his hands at the mouth of an entrance to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Richard Markey, of Wolcott, Connecticut, faces charges of assaulting police with a dangerous weapon, obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder and multiple misdemeanor counts for his alleged role in one of the most violent and prolonged attacks on officers during the Capitol riot.
According to charging documents unsealed Monday, Markey, seen in body worn camera footage wearing a black hat and black jacket, climbed over the top of other rioters to attack police who where attempting to hold a line at the entrance to the Lower West Terrace Tunnel. Investigators say Markey can be seen repeatedly attacking officers with a baton and his hands, as well as a large pole he first broke and took out of the hands of another officer.
“MARKEY then used the pole to strike the shield held by Victim MPD Officer 3 and Victim MPD Officer 4 seven distinct times with such force that on the seventh strike, the pole again breaks,” investigators wrote. “MARKEY then struck the shield an eighth time before discarding the weapon.”
After discarding the pole, investigators say Markey continued yelling at officers and striking their riot shields – at one point taking partial control of a shield held by an officer.
Markey was first identified by a tip through the FBI’s online portal after his photo was posted online. Investigators then conducted interviews in January and February of this year, including interviews with individuals at Markey’s workplace. One witness told the FBI Markey had requested time off on Jan. 6 and had, upon his return, told them he’d been at the Capitol to protest that day.
Markey’s case was assigned to federal Magistrate Judge Zia M. Faruqui for an initial hearing in D.C. District Court. A date for that hearing was not yet set.
The Lower West Terrace Tunnel was the site of some of the most violent assaults on police on Jan. 6. Multiple officers were injured there over the course of several hours, including DC Police Officers Mike Fanone and Daniel Hodges. On Thursday, another rioter convicted of attacking retired U.S. Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell in the tunnel, Kyle Fitzsimons, of Maine, was sentenced to 7 years in prison by U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras.