"Pezzola
was not the only person trying to break windows and forcibly enter the
Capitol at that time, but he appears ... first to breach a window so
successfully that he and other rioters could enter the Capitol through
it."
"The defendant's actions show planning, determination, and co-ordination."
"[Pezzola filmed himself smoking a] victory cigar [in the Capitol building]."
Assistant U.S. Attorney Erik Kenerson
"So
instead they [Capitol Police] used their training to try and
de-escalate the situation by talking with individuals in an attempt to
calm them down."
"[The crowd refused, shouting] this is our house, this is our America [and] we're here for the corrupt government."
FBI Agent affidavit
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Two members of the far-right Proud Boys were indicted in
federal court Friday. Both men face a slew of charges for their
participation in the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
|
New
court documents are revealing details gleaned by the F.B.I. through
interviews and video examination relating to the January 6 breach of the
U.S. Capitol by a violent mob that left five people dead, and over a
hundred police officers injured. Two Missouri brothers have had a
criminal complaint lodged against them and a prominent member of the
Proud Boys, a detention memo; the documents detailing the initial period
of the forced mob entry to the Capitol.
They
serve as an explanation of how it was that a violent mob was able to
overrun a small, poorly-defended line of Capital Police officers as
prosecutors trace the actions of what are believed to be key instigators
in the storming of the U.S. Capitol. Members of a far-right
nationalist, nativist group with a history of violence -- the Proud Boys
-- and other right-wing extremist groups have been heavily implicated.
 |
Trump supporters clash with police and security forces
as they push down barricades to storm the U.S. Capitol. The Capitol
Police officers are quickly overwhelmed. Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images
|
Both
surveillance video and social media have helped to identify Proud Boy
Dominic Pezzola as one of the first to lead the charge outside and
inside the Capitol, according to prosecutors. His actions helped to
overwhelm police defences and enabled him personally to purloin an
officer's riot shield. Pezzola was recognized as being among the first
to charge and overwhelm a line of police behind a pedestrian gate on the
west front Capitol grounds, leading the crowd to advance toward a
second set of metal barricades at the west plaza.
There,
Pezzola was flanked by a man wearing an American flag bandana who
pulled away a part of the fence leaving a gap and allowing thousands of
people to follow onto the Capital grounds toward unprotected police. He
was also among the first to reach another police line at the base of the
Capital. Pezzola was viewed on video pulling out a riot shield after a
member of the mob was hit by a projectile, and using the shield to break
a window in the building.
A
pair of brothers from Montana, Joshua Calvin Hughes and Jerod Wade
Hughes then followed Pezzola into the window, helping to kick down a
door from the inside, serving as an access point to greater numbers of
rioters. The brothers were charged with felonies relating to destruction
of property, obstructing law enforcement and disrupting a government
proceeding, while Pezzola faces similar charges.
 |
After a series of phone calls from local and Capitol
Police leaders to Defense Department officials, the D.C. National Guard
is deployed to help end the riot that saw Trump supporters breaking
windows to get into the Capitol.
Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
|
Evidence
exists that Pezzola assaulted police when he stole the riot shield,
earning him two additional crimes of violence charges. Members of the
Proud Boys made use of walkie-talkie type communication devices in
co-ordinating the attack. U.S. Attorney Kenerson revealed that FBI
agents found information on producing homemade firearms, poisons and
explosives on Pezzola's computer.
Having
gained entry to the Capitol, Pezzola and the Hughes brothers confronted
Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman at the foot of a staircase.
Officer Goodman was subsequently recognized for his calm and heroic
management of a mob, leading them away from the chambers containing the
assembled lawmakers who were confirming the numbers of the Electoral
College votes, "advancing ... in a menacing manner", according to one FBI agent, while the Hughes brothers "followed immediately" behind.
The
failure to fend off the rioters who forced lawmakers to hide in corners
of the building while the angry mob called for their deaths is the
subject of enquiry by internal and congressional investigations.
Authorities acknowledge that police were outnumbered by rioters at every
turn, that while Officer Goodman called for backup and other officers
joined him, they still lacked manpower to enable them to attempt
arrests.
At
one juncture a rioter slammed a fire extinguisher on the floor
resulting in a cloud of smoke which acted as a shock, leading to a
dissipation of the crowd's rage and dispersal. The Hughes brothers
however, did not leave the building, instead making their way to the
Senate floor, where they occupied lawmakers' chairs and rifled through
their desks.
 |
Convinced the election was stolen, thousands of Trump
supporters storm the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6 as Congress counts
and certifies the Electoral College vote. Spencer Platt/Getty Images
|
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