More arrests have been made stemming from last week’s attack on the Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump. Among those arrested, according to the Justice Department, are Larry Rendell Brock of Texas and Eric Gavelek Munchel of Tennessee, who were seen in widely-circulated photographs inside the Capitol during the riot carrying plastic restraints commonly used by law enforcement to detain people. Each has been charged with entering a restricted building or ground without lawful authority and one count of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. Also arrested was Cleveland Grover Meredith Junior, charged with bringing an assault rifle into D.C. and threatening in text messages to kill House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on live TV.
Meanwhile, the FBI is working to determine whether the Capitol siege was pre-planned by multiple actors. A senior official tells ABC News the attackers were organized, coordinated and had leadership, communication equipment and paramilitary uniforms. Additionally, the Army Secretary briefed members of Congress, who say at least 25 domestic terrorism cases have been opened since the siege at the Capitol. The Defense Department is aware of possible threats posed by would-be terrorists in the coming days.
A hearse carrying the body of fallen Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who was among the five people who died during the riots, was led by a procession of police motorcycles down the streets of Washington D.C. on Sunday, as fellow law enforcement officers lined the streets to pay their respects. Sicknick, as 12-year veteran of the Capitol Police, was injured when he was struck in the head by a rioter with a fire extinguisher. He later died of his injuries. The White House on Sunday lowered its flag to half-staff in Sicknick’s honor, three days after his death.
Meanwhile, former Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund tells the Washington Post that two days before the Capitol Hill siege, he asked for permission to request that the Washington, D.C. National Guard be placed in standby, as he became worried about the number of pro-Trump protestors expected at the Capitol on January 6. Sund says House and Senate security officials rebuffed his request. He further claims that during a call with Pentagon officials during the siege, he told participants: “I am making an urgent, urgent immediate request for National Guard assistance. I have got to get boots on the ground.” Sund says he was again initially refused, with Lt. Gen. Walter E. Piatt, director of the Army Staff, saying, “I don’t like the visual of the National Guard standing a police line with the Capitol in the background.” The Capitol Police is facing blistering criticism about their largely ineffective response to the siege and perceived lack of preparedness for it. Sund resigned his position as Capitol Police chief following the siege.
Capitol attack latest: more arrests, finger-pointing; slain Capitol Police officer laid to rest
