WASHINGTON, D.C. — A Florida man was arrested on Thursday, December 19, and charged with assaulting law enforcement with a weapon related to alleged conduct during the January 6 U.S. Capitol breach in 2021.
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Joel Linn O’Donnell, 44, of Clearwater, Florida, is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with seven offenses, including:
- Assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers with a deadly or dangerous weapon.
- Assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers.
- Obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder.
- Entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon.
- Disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon.
- Engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon.
In addition to felony charges, O’Donnell is charged with two misdemeanor offenses:
- Disorderly conduct in a Capitol building.
- Act of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings.
According to official court documents, on January 6, 2021, O’Donnell attended a rally near the Ellipse in Washington, D.C., and afterward, joined a large crowd marching toward the U.S. Capitol building. Once on Capitol grounds, O’Donnell positioned himself at the Lower West Plaza.
At approximately 4:54 p.m., it is alleged that O’Donnell advanced toward the Lower West Terrace Tunnel, carrying a large step and two long poles. Moments later, O’Donnell allegedly used these items as weapons, hurling all three of the objects at police officers defending the Tunnel.
At approximately 5:02 p.m., it is alleged that O’Donnell returned to the police line armed with a baseball bat and repeatedly struck a Metropolitan Police Department officer, hitting the officer’s riot shield.
Court documents say that O’Donnell only retreated from the tunnel area after police deployed riot control munitions to disperse the crowd.
O’Donnell is one of more than 1,500 individuals who have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the U.S. Capitol breach.
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