Sandy MaloneWashington, DC – Authorities have released pictures of seven men video showed were involved in the brutal beating of a DC police officer during the Capitol riot and they’re asking for the public’s help to identify the suspects.
DC Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Officer Michael Fanone was one of the officers who responded to the urgent request for help from U.S. Capitol Police on Jan. 6 when angry protesters stormed the Capitol building, The Washington Post reported.
“They were overthrowing the Capitol, the seat of democracy, and I f–king went,” Officer Fanone said.
He and many other DC and Capitol Police officers battled back the encroaching mob on the West Terrace of the Capitol for hours, unaware that the building had already been breached by rioters at a different entrance.
Rioters beat the officers with flag poles and their own batons and shields and sprayed bear mace in their faces, The Washington Post reported.
“We weren’t battling 50 or 60 rioters in this tunnel,” Officer Fanone told reporters. “We were battling 15,000 people. It looked like a medieval battle scene.”
He said a rioter grabbed him by the helmet and dragged him down the steps of the Capitol building.
The attack on Officer Fanone was captured on video and went viral, showing rioters beating the officer with flag police flying Thin Blue Line flags in support of law enforcement.
Police said a second officer was dragged down the steps a moment later, The Washington Post reported.
Both of the officers were hit with stun guns multiple times.
Officer Fanone suffered a mild heart attack in the middle of the chaos, The Washington Post reported.
He drifted in and out of consciousness but still remembers the terrifying mob chanting “USA” as they beat on him with metal poles pulled from the scaffolding that had been set up in preparation for the Inauguration of President-Elect Joe Biden.
“We got one! We got one!” Officer Fanone said rioters yelled. “Kill him with his own gun!”
The father of four daughters who joined the DC police after 9/11 said he remembered trying to appeal to the humanity of the mob, yelling out that he had children, The Washington Post reported.
“I was being beat from every angle,” he said. “I thought, maybe, I could appeal to somebody’s humanity.”
“I remember, like guys were stripping me of my gear, these rioters pulling my badge off my chest,” Officer Fanone recalled. “They ripped my radio off of off my vest, started pulling like ammunition magazines from the holder on my belt. And then some guys started getting a hold of my gun, and they were screaming out, you know, kill him with his own gun.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released pictures of seven men who are suspects in the attack on Officer Fanone during the Capitol riot.
NEW: #FBIWFO & @DCPoliceDept are seeking public's help in identifying those who assaulted MPD Officer Fanone on Jan 6. If you have info, report it to the #FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit photos/videos https://t.co/NNj84wkNJP & reference this photo #s. https://t.co/jOSFC2xmkp pic.twitter.com/8jwA0Hhikc
— FBI Washington Field (@FBIWFO) January 17, 2021
Officer Fanone suffered a mild heart attack when we was repeatedly beaten & tased by his attackers during the Jan 6th insurrection. We need your help finding them!!
Have info? Call the FBI’s Tipline at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) @FBIWFO pic.twitter.com/wf26wBOSz0
— DC Police Department (@DCPoliceDept) January 17, 2021
The seven suspects featured on the FBI “wanted” poster are also facing additional charges that include unlawful entry into the U.S. Capitol building, FOX News reported.
Sixty DC police officers and an unknown number of Capitol Police officers were injured during the Capitol riot, The Washington Post reported.
Holly Matkin
