2 Orting men arrested in Tacoma for their alleged roles in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot
Two men from Orting were arrested in Tacoma on Wednesday in connection to an FBI investigation of their alleged roles in the Jan. 2021 Capitol riot, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
Among the allegations, federal prosecutors say video footage captures Richard Slaughter, 40, attacking Capitol police with a pole, and his 20-year-old stepson Caden Paul Gottfried joining a mob that pushed against a line of officers, according to a news release. The men face both felony and misdemeanor charges, including assaulting, resisting or impeding law enforcement officers.
Slaughter, also an Orting School Board member, and Gottfried initially caught the attention of the FBI following an incident on a Jan. 7 flight from Washington, D.C. to Seattle involving mask non-compliance and protesting the 2020 election results, according to court papers shared in a news release.
Slaughter admitted to being at the Capitol during a Feb. 2021 FBI interview but denied committing any crimes, according to court papers.
A confidential informant identified Slaughter in videos of the attack in April 2021 and shared links to Slaughter’s wife’s Facebook page with images of her husband at the Capitol on Jan. 6, according to court papers. Cell phone data also placed both men at the Capitol that day.
“This is the last resort, it was statistically impossible to lose this election, and there is just, um, nauseating amounts of fraud, and it’s not being heard or seen, and we really have nothing,” Slaughter said on video at the Capitol, according to court papers. “We don’t leave. We stay united. And we take back our country.”
The incidents at the Capitol occurred after Slaughter and Gottfried entered the Capitol grounds and made their way to a tunnel leading to the Capitol Building with other alleged rioters, according to a news release.
Around 3:30 p.m., Slaughter reportedly kept a police shield away from officers and told law enforcement to “stand down,” according to court papers.
At about 4 p.m., both men were at the front of the tunnel, according to court papers. That’s where Slaughter allegedly wielded a long pole and Gottfried pushed his back against officers with the crowd.
Police pulled Gottfried into the tunnel and detained him before eventually releasing him, according to court papers.
Video also showed Slaughter handing what appeared to be chemical spray to someone in the crowd, according to court papers.
Slaughter and Gottfried were expected to make initial appearances in the Western District of Washington on Wednesday, according to a news release.
Prosecutors filed charges in federal court in Washington D.C. on Sept. 30 but those records were sealed Wednesday.
Police have arrested more than 880 people from nearly every state in connection the Capitol attack, according to a news release. More than 270 of them have been charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.
A state court database does not show a prior felony record for Slaughter or Gottfried.
