A retired U.S. special forces soldier is facing several criminal charges over assaulting several police officers during the riot in Capitol, including throwing a flagpole like a spear at another officer, authorities said.
Jeffrey McKellop, 55, was arrested Wednesday and is the youngest military veteran to be charged during the January 6 siege of the Capitol. In all, he faces six federal charges.
Images of McKellop show him in a crowd with military tactical equipment, including a gas mask, an armor and a helmet. During a confrontation with a police officer in Washington DC, he picked up a flagpole from the ground and pressed the officer’s face, the FBI said.
According to court documents, he allegedly threw the pole “similar to throwing a spear”.
The image shows McKellop assaulting an officer with a flagpole, the FBI said.
(FBI)
According to an FBI statement, the officer suffered a tear on his face.
A moment earlier, the Fisherville, Va., Resident collided with three other police officers in which he allegedly assaulted them. According to authorities, he also threw a bottle at police officers in Washington DC, police and the Capitol and tried to repel a can of riot control spray from another officer.
The body cameras of the police violently captured McKellop with authorities, the FBI said. At one point he was caught with a ‘thin blue line’ flag. The image indicates support for law enforcement.
The FBI said McKellop was seen wearing a ‘thin blue line’ flag.
(FBI)
The FBI said it had received tips, including from someone who claimed to have served in the Army with McKellop from 2002-2016, the FBI said. The tipster said that McKellop is currently working as a military contractor and that they last saw him overseas in 2018.
The Washington Post reports that McKellop served 22 years in the military. A second enrollment from 1993 to 2010, including time as a mechanic and communications sergeant of the Special Forces. He has served deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, the report said.
The FBI said Jeffrey McKellop grabbed a police officer’s arm during the Jan. 6 siege of the Capitol in Washington DC.
(FBI)
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The FBI has so far arrested more than 300 people who allegedly took part in the riot and dozens have been charged with assaulting police officers. Two men have been charged with the death of Brian Sicknick, Capitol police officer, who later died from injuries sustained during the protest.
The FBI on Thursday released ten videos showing the “worst attacks on law enforcement during the riot.