5 Floridians attacked Capitol police for hours with fists, shields and flagpoles, DOJ says
The group is accused of a prolonged assault on police trying to hold the line outside the U.S. Capitol building on January 6.
Author: Jordan Fischer, Eric Flack, Stephanie Wilson
Published: 10:01 AM MST July 8, 2021
Updated: 1:36 PM MST July 8, 2021
WASHINGTON — Four men and a woman from central Florida assaulted police for hours on Jan. 6, according to new charging documents, using fists, metal flagpoles and stolen riot shields to batter officers trying to hold a line at the U.S. Capitol.
A 53-page indictment was unsealed Thursday against five Lakeland, Florida, residents accused of traveling to D.C. on Jan. 6 and engaging in a prolonged campaign of violence against officers. They now face charges of assaulting federal officers, theft of government property and violent entry and disorderly conduct.
According to the indictment, Jonathan Daniel Pollock, his sister Olivia Michele Pollock, and three other men – Joseph Daniel Hutchinson, Joshua Christopher Doolin and Michael Steven Perkins – traveled around the U.S. Capitol grounds as a group during the riot. In dozens of images collected from body-worn cameras and other footage of the day, investigators say the group can be seen repeatedly clashing with police.
In one series of images, the DOJ says Jonathan Pollock, wearing a MultiCam camouflage outfit with "distinctive military morale patches" on the front, can be seen leaping over other fallen rioters to continue attacking police. Images in the indictment appear to show him tackling and punching officers, and then grabbing another by the neck and forcing him to the ground.
#CapitolRiot: Jonathan Daniel Pollock in particular is accused of multiple assaults on police. At one point, the DOJ says this image shows him grabbing an officer by the neck and tackling him to the ground. @wusa9 @EricFlackTV pic.twitter.com/ntkD2QWAYP
— Jordan Fischer (@JordanOnRecord) July 8, 2021
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At another point, the DOJ says Jonathan Pollock and Perkins jointly attack police who were trying to assist another officer.
"First Perkins's co-defendants, primarily Jonathan Pollock, violently charged at the line of officers with a flagpole, and, once disarmed, grabbed, punched, kneed, and pushed the officers, all while Perkins stood by," federal prosecutors wrote in court documents. "Rather than retreating from this violent conduct, Perkins joined in less than ten minutes later, supporting Hutchinson in his attack on the line of police officers. Then, as officers descended into the crowd of rioters to assist another officer, Perkins grabbed a dangerous weapon – a flagpole – and thrust it into the chest of an officer. He then raised the flagpole over his head and brought it down toward another officer, appearing to strike that officer in the back of the head."
The Justice Department says another defendant, Joshua Doolin, appeared to have "zip tie handcuffs tucked in his belt and a riot-control chemical irritant canister, which appears to belong to law enforcement, slung over his shoulder."
#CapitolRiot: Multiple members of the group are accused of repeatedly using flagpoles and shields to assault police. One of them, Joshua Doolin, appeared to have brought "zip tie handcuffs" and also had a riot-control chemical irritant canister. @wusa9 @EricFlackTV pic.twitter.com/jPeGqlE8SL
At various points throughout the day, investigators say members of the group can be heard yelling encouragements to themselves and other members of the crowd to continue the assault on police. Jonathan Pollock, in particular, is alleged to be heard yelling, "We didn't come all this way just to stand here!" and, "We didn't come this far just to push back the cops."
The indictment also alleges at least two other unidentified associates may have joined the group on Jan. 6.
According to investigators, Pollock was identified as a possible suspect in the riot after he allegedly showed off pictures of himself at the Capitol at his workplace in Florida. According to the indictment, on the second day after he returned to work, he said he had a "family emergency," left the worksite and then never returned.
Four of the co-defendants were arrested June 30, but one, Jonathan Pollock, remained at large as of Thursday afternoon. On Tuesday, the Justice Department filed a motion with the D.C. District Court asking for the four in custody to be held in jail while they await trial, arguing that their assaults "contributed to the escalation of violence on the Capitol grounds."
Three of the defendants appeared before a magistrate judge Thursday afternoon. One, Daniel Hutchinson, was ordered to 24-hour-a-day home detention with GPS monitoring. The other two, Joshua Doolin and Olivia Pollock, were ordered to submit just to GPS monitoring while they await trial. The fourth defendant, Michael Perkins, was scheduled for his initial appearance later Thursday afternoon.
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