New Footage Shows Pro-Donald Trump Rioter Punching Police During U.S. Capitol Attack
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Newly released footage from the Justice Department shows a New Jersey man shoving and punching a police officer during the deadly Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol, after having followed and taunted the officer with expletives, prosecutors say.
In a submission to a federal judge, the Justice Department identified the man shown in several videos taken on Jan. 6 as Scott Fairlamb, one of the first people to breach the Senate side of the U.S. Capitol building during the violent insurrection.
Still images of the newly released videos had been included in a January criminal complaint filed by federal prosecutors in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.
More than a dozen other media outlets requested copies of the videos, which CNN reports the DOJ released on Friday.
In the newly released footage, Fairlamb, 44, can be seen wearing a brown camouflage jacket, black knit hat, red shoes and jeans. One video shows him pushing a police officer, while a second video shows him carrying a collapsible baton and shouting: "What patriots do? We f------ disarm them and then we storm the f------ Capitol."
Trump, 75, repeatedly referred to his supporters as "patriots" throughout his presidency and referred to them by that name again on Jan. 6 in a belated video message telling the rioters to "go home," after he told them "we love you" and to "remember this day forever!"
Five people, including U.S. Capitol police officer Brian Sicknick, died as a result of the hectic clash between pro-Trump rioters and law enforcement.
In other video, Fairlamb - who NJ.com reports is a former mixed martial arts fighter - can be heard shouting at officers: "Are you an American? Act like a f------ one."
"You guys have no idea what the f--- you're doing!" he then yelled at the officers.
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Fairlamb - a Trump supporter, QAnon adherent and local gym owner - has been charged with 12 criminal counts stemming from the insurrection, including assaulting a police officer and carrying a dangerous weapon into the Capitol building.
He is currently being held without bail pending the outcome of his criminal case. The federal judge presiding over the case, Judge Royce Lamberth, appeareed to cite Fairlamb's lack of remorse and violent criminal history in court proceedings in March.
"His actions and words on that day all indicate a specific intent to obstruct a congressional proceeding through fear, intimidation, and violence, including violence against uniformed police officers," prosecutors wrote in a filing, seeking Fairlamb's detention.
A judge cited previous acts of violence in making the determination that he would be likely to commit a similar offense again.
"The defendant's history of punching people in the face suggests that he may punch people in the face again," Lamberth wrote, according to CNN.
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NJ.com reported that an FBI affidavit submitted to the court said concerned citizens had submitted the videos of Fairlamb to the FBI, after he shared them on his own social media accounts.
In a third video, Fairlamb can be seen standing on scaffolding near the Capitol. According to the Justice Department's complaint, someone he grew up with identified him from that piece of footage and contacted authorities.
The footage is part of a series of clips released by the Justice Department on Friday, after 17 networks, including CNN, sought the videos in court.
The network reports that other videos released Friday include footage from a police body-cam, as well as a video taken by someone in the crowd and later posted to YouTube.
The events of Jan. 6 occurred after thousands of Trump voters gathered to hear the former president give a disgruntled and angry speech outside the White House, amid his baseless claims that election fraud resulted in his 2020 loss to President Joe Biden.
As Congress met to certify the votes of the Electoral College inside the Capitol, Trump instructed his supporters to "march" and "fight like hell" in support of his failed efforts to overturn the election results.
Within hours, the pro-Trump rioters stormed the Capitol, forcing lawmakers to evacuate as shots were reported inside.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said there was "no question" Trump is "practically and morally responsible for provoking" the attack, although the Republican lawmaker had also voted to acquit the former president during his unprecedented second impeachment trial.
"The people who stormed this building believed they were acting on the wishes and instructions of their president," McConnell, 79, said.
