Other weapons from the Insurrection:
“In America, we have this thought that everything is focused on a gun, on a firearm,” Boyd said. “And we miss the fact that so many other people are killed with so many other weapons.”
At least one of the rioters was allegedly found with a stun gun. Richard Barnett was photographed sitting in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office with his feet up on a desk. Barnett, who self-identifies as a “white nationalist,” was seen in that photo with what federal law enforcement later
identified as a “ZAP Hike N Strike 950,000 Volt Stun Gun Walking Stick.”
According to a product description, the weapon “delivers 950,000 volts of knock down power, causing loss of muscle control and disorientation that bring attackers to their knees and makes them incapable of further aggression.” (A
Reuters investigation found that, as of 2017, more than 1,000 people died after police used a stun gun on them.)
Jonathan Mellis can be allegedly seen on footage from a Metropolitan Police Department body camera “repeatedly striking and making stabbing movements towards the officers” using a large stick. According to court documents, Mellis appears to be “attempting to strike the officers’ necks between their helmets and body-armor where they are not protected.”
The Cases
Federal prosecutors say that
Christopher Michael Alberts of Maryland was arrested on Capitol grounds on the evening of Jan. 6 while carrying a Taurus G2c 9 mm handgun with one round in the chamber and a full 12-round magazine. He also allegedly had an extra magazine in his pocket and was carrying a gas mask, pocket knife and first-aid kit.
Lonnie Leroy Coffman of Alabama was also arrested that evening after law enforcement found two firearms on his person, as well as what a federal judge
referred to as a “small armory” in his truck, which was parked near the Capitol. According to the court, the government found “a loaded handgun,” “a loaded rifle,” “a loaded shotgun,” “a crossbow with bolts,” “several machetes,” “a stun gun” and “11 mason jars containing a flammable liquid, with a hole punched in the top of each jar.” According to the government, surveillance footage showed him “in attendance at the events at the Capitol,” though he has not been charged with breaching the building.
Cleveland Grover Meredith of North Carolina planned to arrive in D.C. for the Trump rallies on Jan. 6, according to federal prosecutors, but he was delayed because of car trouble. He was arrested the following day for allegedly assaulting a man in Washington, D.C., in a traffic-related incident and for making death threats against the D.C. mayor and Pelosi.
During a search, law enforcement said they found in his possession “a Glock 19, nine millimeter pistol, a Tavor X95 assault rifle and approximately hundreds of rounds of ammunition.” Citing text messages sent by Meredith, a federal prosecutor
argued in court that he “relished in the carnage of January 6th.”
The government’s case against members of the far-right, anti-government militia known as the Oath Keepers alleges that the group discussed planning a “Quick Reaction Team” with weapons just outside Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6. One such defendant,
Thomas Caldwell, allegedly wrote in a text message on Jan. 3, “we could have our Quick Response Team with the heavy weapons standing by, quickly load them and ferry them across the river to our waiting arms.” Caldwell’s attorney, meanwhile, has
argued that references to such a team demonstrate that the group was purposely adhering to D.C.’s strict gun laws. Caldwell’s attorney also argued that the messages were not about storming the Capitol, stating that the team was “nothing but a contingency plan hatched up by retired military guys strategizing in the event that Antifa launched a coordinated attack against rally-goers.” (There is
no evidence antifa played any role in the events of Jan. 6.)
Prosecutors believe other defendants in the Capitol riot possessed guns on Jan. 6, though those rioters were not arrested and searched for weapons that day.
For example,
Guy Wesley Reffitt allegedly “led a group of rioters up the Capitol steps” and “confronted law enforcement” but retreated after being pepper-sprayed
. Reffitt was wearing tactical gear and “carrying his pistol” during the riot, according to the government, and also brought plastic flex cuffs.
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