DOJ: Man Attacked Capitol Cops With Trump Flagpole

From the Justice Department:

An Illinois man has been arrested on felony and misdemeanor charges, including for assaulting law enforcement during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

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 2020 presidential election.

Lance Michael Ligocki, 34, of Oakwood, Illinois, is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with felony offenses of civil disorder and assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers.

Ligocki is also charged with several misdemeanor offenses, including entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds, disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds, and disorderly conduct and acts of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings.

The FBI arrested Ligocki today in Illinois, and he made his initial appearance in the Central District of Illinois.

According to court documents, Ligocki was identified on Capitol ground in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021, wearing a distinctive outfit that consisted of American flag-themed pants and jacket, as well as an American flag-themed baseball cap with a bill turned up. Ligocki also carried a “Trump” flag and “Stop the Steal” sign.

Court documents say that Ligocki was identified in an open-source video on the Lower West Terrace, where police had formed a defensive line at the mouth of an archway leading to an entrance to the Capitol building known as the Tunnel.

The Tunnel was the site of some of the most violent attacks against law enforcement on January 6th. Rioters at the Tunnel battled police officers for hours as they attempted to storm the Capitol building.

Video footage shows Ligocki on the Lower West Terrace allegedly swinging a pole with a “Trump” flag at law enforcement officers three times while carrying the “Stop the Steal” sign.

Read the full press release.