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Active Duty Marine charged with fighting a police officer during the Capitol Riot
The FBIA’s active Marine Corps major, who allegedly pushed a police officer during the Capitol riot to allow thousands of fellow insurgents to enter the building, was part of a new group of suspected rioters indicted by the federal government on Thursday. Christopher Warnagiris, a 40-year-old who has been based at the Marine Corps in Quantico since last summer, has been hit with a number of charges, including assault officers and obstruction of justice. He was arrested Thursday in Virginia and is due to appear in court that afternoon. He is one of dozens of current and former law enforcement officers indicted in connection with the January 6 riot. Videos and photos showed Warnagiris – in a dark jacket with green zippers, a green military backpack, and gloves – trying to get into the Capitol with a number of others through the doors of the Eastern Rotunda. While Capitol cops tried to keep the crowd at bay, they eventually lost ground and a group of rioters managed to open the doors, according to a criminal complaint. Warnagiris seemed to “use his body to keep the door partially open” to help others inside. “As the fight continued, several USCP officers repositioned themselves from the outside of the door inward and continued to attempt to stop the flow of people entering the building,” the complaint read. Former Navy SEAL admits he marched on the Capitol on January 6th. Warnagiris got into a fight with an officer positioned between him and the growing crowd inside, even after the officer “ordered him to go out the door. “When Warnagiris did not consent, the official said Warnagiris tried to get him out of the way – and Warnagiris pushed back” to keep his position in the open door “. Federal authorities said they were first advised of Warnagiris’ identity on March 16, when a member of the public recognized him in a series of photos, the FBI released a request for help. The witness told authorities that Warnagiris was “a naval officer on active duty” and that they worked with him for about six months in 2019. The next day, FBI agents went to his military command and interviewed him after confirming that Warnagiris was an active service member. This person said they worked with Warnagiris for about nine months. According to a 2018 article on the Marines website, Warnagiris was an operations officer for the U.S. LHD Tonnere, an amphibious assault ship for the French Navy, when it began two-month deployment in the U.S. 5th Fleet’s area of operations. The charges against three other alleged insurgents were also made public on Thursday. Brittiany Angelina Dillon, arrested in DC on May 11; Hunter Palm, arrested in Denver, Colorado on May 12; and Michael Gareth Adams, arrested on April 22nd in Alexandria, Virginia. In January, a relative of Palm wrote a letter to the FBI identifying him as one of the rioters, according to an affidavit signed by FBI special agent Matthew J. Hamel. The file said Palm called the nameless family member on Jan. 6 and said he had come to the Capitol where he “eventually entered a conference room with a long table and several chairs to rest on.” Hunter Palm. FBI In a follow-up interview with FBI agents, Palm admitted to being on site during the siege, the affidavit said. He handed over a flash drive with a video of the day Palm confessed to wiping his cell phone and the clothes he wore to the Capitol: a gray hoodie, jeans, an American flag hat and an embossed flag Words “TRUMP” and “Keep America Great”. The evidence Palm presented did not help his case. A criminal complaint said he was seen on video approaching the Capitol and saying “Stop the steal!” Calls. In another he goes in and says, “We are in the Capitol.” Palm told the agents that he was pushed inside. However, the affidavit says he is free to go to the Capitol and sing, “Whose house? Our house! “He enters the conference room of house spokeswoman Nancy Pelosi, while voices from outside the camera shout after her execution:” You want a tour? “Palm asks the others, then sneaks into a laptop and says,” Who is good at hacking? Who is good at hacking? “After Palm sits at the head of the conference table, he puts his feet up and says,” I think I like my new dining room. I pay for it. “Michael Gareth Adams, who upset his longboard and is the second skateboarder to be charged with the January 6th events, was also included in footage of him breaking through the Capitol. Members of the public provided investigators with “multiple” videos showing Adams entering restricted areas that day, a sworn affidavit said. Michael Adams. FBI After two Adams employees said in the videos they couldn’t be sure if it was him, Adams was ultimately identified by someone who said they were “100 percent sure”. If there were still doubts, the FBI says it has checked the location data of the cell phone that Adams placed at the crime scene. After his arrest, he was released on bail. The judge ordered him to stay away from DC except to meet with his lawyers or attend court appearances. Investigators went to Brittiany Angelina Dillon after searching another suspected rioter’s cell phone – and saw text messages between her and Bryan Betancur, who had been arrested for storming the Capitol after a GPS ankle monitor he was wearing for a break-in had shown that he was there. “The DC police have hit a new low … they shot someone near me. Please come home safe, ”Dillon wrote in a text to Betancur, according to a criminal complaint. Brittiany Angelina Dillon. FBI In another message, Dillon wrote, “I was there. I got pepper sprayed on the door of the capital and gassed tears three times as I made my way there. “A third text sent by Dillon reportedly said,” I fought hard … I fell in the door and they tried to hit me with batons, so I pulled back and they got me Sprayed pepper on the eyes. ”Not only was Dillon featured in a video that was taken inside the Capitol that day and placed on the scene with her cell phone and Gmail account, automatic license plate readers did her on the day of the Maryland Riots clocked to DC and back again. Read more at The Daily Beast. Read our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside delves deeper into the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
