Arlington man arrested, accused of assaulting police officer at Jan. 6 Capitol riot
A North Texas man has been arrested after he was accused of assaulting an officer during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol, according to the United States Attorney’s Office.
Jason Farris, 44, of Arlington, was arrested Wednesday on felony charges of assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers; obstructing, impeding, or interfering with officers during a civil disorder; entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds; and physical violence in a restricted building or grounds.
“His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia said in a news release.
Farris was expected to make his initial court appearance Wednesday in the Northern District of Texas.
Farris was at the front of a mob on Jan. 6, 2021, on the north side of the Lower West Plaza of the Capitol, a location that was restricted from lawful public access, according to court documents.
Police had set up metal bicycle racks as a barricade to prevent rioters from advancing further into the Capitol.
Farris hit the baton held by of one of the officers with his hand and cursed at police, according to court documents.
Other rioters grabbed one of the bicycle racks and tried to pull it away from police moments after Farris approached one of the officers, authorities said. Several officers held onto the bicycle rack.
Farris approached a U.S. Capitol Police officer who was holding onto the bicycle rack and shoved the officer in the back with both hands, knocking him to the ground, the court documents state. After Farris shoved the officer to the ground, other rioters pulled the bicycle rack away from the police and dragged it into the crowd, the release said.
This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas.
The case is also being investigated by the FBI’s Dallas Field Office and the FBI’s Washington Field Office, with assistance from the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.
More than 985 people have been arrested for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including approximately 319 charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.
