- No evidence of armed suspect or shots fired at New Jersey’s Monmouth University; curling iron mistaken for weapon: Police WPVI-TV
- Shelter-in-place lifted at Monmouth University after curling iron mistaken for weapon ABC News
- Staff, students at Monmouth University ordered to shelter in place for possible armed person NJ.com
- Shelter in place issued at Monmouth University due to possible armed suspect Eyewitness News ABC7NY
- Monmouth University gives all-clear on ‘armed subject;’ shelter order lifted Asbury Park Press
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Tag Archives: armed
Armed Forces of Ukraine destroy three ammunition storages, Russia drops gas grenades General Staff – Yahoo News
- Armed Forces of Ukraine destroy three ammunition storages, Russia drops gas grenades General Staff Yahoo News
- Multiple Russian Tanks Blown Up By Mines in Matter of Minutes Newsweek
- Russia releases dramatic footage of tanks raining ‘hell-fire’ on trapped Ukrainian soldiers | Watch Hindustan Times
- Russia Strikes Ukraine ‘Where It Hurts The Most’; Bombs Critical Tank Repair Facility To Deflate Its Military EurAsian Times
- Ukraine Posts Video of UAV Hammering Russian Tank: ‘Successful Combat Work’ Newsweek
- View Full Coverage on Google News
One person killed in armed attack on Azerbaijan embassy in Iran | News
DEVELOPING STORYDEVELOPING STORY,
Azerbaijani foreign ministry say a guard has been killed in the attack.
A guard has been killed in an armed attack on Azerbaijan’s embassy in Iran’s capital Tehran, the country’s foreign ministry has said.
“The attacker broke through the guard post, killing the head of security with a Kalashnikov assault rifle,” it said.
Friday’s attack has also injured two people, the ministry added. An investigation has been launched.
Police in Tehran said they have arrested a suspect and are investigating the motive behind the attack.
The suspect entered the embassy with two young children and may have been motivated by “personal issues”, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported, citing the police chief.
A video shared by Iranian state-owned news outlet Press TV on social media showed what appeared to be the gunman entering the embassy and firing shots inside the building, before scuffling with one man who tries to stop him.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu condemned the “treacherous attack” on Twitter. “Azerbaijan is never alone,” he said, sending his condolences to the relatives of the victim and wishing a speedy recovery to the injured.
Iran, home to millions of ethnic Azerbaijanis, has long accused Baku of fomenting separatist sentiments in its territory.
Relations between Baku and Tehran have been traditionally sour, as Turkic-speaking Azerbaijan is a close ally of Iran’s historical rival Turkey.
Iran is also suspicious of Azerbaijan’s military cooperation with Israel – a major arms supplier to Baku – saying Tel Aviv could potentially use Azerbaijani territory as a bridgehead against Iran.
Trilobites armed with tridents could be the earliest known example of sexual combat
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From a deer’s elaborate branching antlers to the fiddler crab’s oversize claw, the animal kingdom is full of flashy features used in combat to help secure a mate.
A team of researchers announced last week that it has found the earliest known evidence of sexual combat in the form of a trident-headed trilobite that scuttled the seafloor 400 million years ago.
Trilobites were one of the earliest arthropods, the group of invertebrates containing insects, spiders, lobsters, crabs and other organisms with exoskeletons, segmented bodies and jointed limbs. These pill bug-like sea creatures first emerged 521 million years ago and died out 252 million years ago in the mass extinction that gave way to the dinosaurs.
There were over 22,000 species of trilobite, some reaching lengths of more than 2 feet, but the type that caught the eye of paleontologist Alan Gishlick was more modest in size, around 2 to 3 inches. He recalls seeing specimens of Walliserops at fossil trade shows and marveling at the trident-shaped protrusion branching off the trilobites’ heads.
“That’s the type of structure that has to have a function. You don’t put that much biological energy into something that doesn’t do something,” said Gishlick, an associate professor of paleontology at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania.
Researchers have proposed various uses for these forking protrusions, including defense, hunting and attracting mates.
In a paper published January 17 in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Gishlick and coauthor Richard Fortey delved into these hypotheses, ruling out the trident as a means of defense or a hunting tool based on how the trilobite would have been able to move it. The trident wouldn’t be of much use against predators attacking from above or behind, and while it could have been used to spear prey, the trilobite would then be stuck with its meal just out of reach.
What made the most sense to Gishlick and Fortey, a paleontologist at the Natural History Museum in London, was that Walliserops used the trident to fight among each other.
Their thinking was bolstered by an unusual specimen of Walliserops with a deformed trident bearing four prongs instead of the usual three. If the trident was a vital part of day-to-day survival, they reasoned, then the trilobite probably wouldn’t have lasted for long with a malformed one.
Bolstered with the evidence for Walliserops’ trident being used to win mates, the researchers turned to the closest analogue they could find in the modern world. “The structure reminds me a heck of a lot of beetle horns,” Gishlick said.
The researchers used a technique called landmark-based geometric morphometrics, which Gishlick described as a means of comparing complex shapes in a statistically robust way, to analyze the surface-level similarity of trilobite tridents and horns of rhinoceros beetles. They found that the trilobite tridents’ shape had a lot in common with the horns of beetles that flip their dueling partners in a “shoveling” motion, as opposed to other species whose horns are better for fencing or grasping.
Gishlick said he believes that, like in beetles, trilobites’ tridents were “sexual weapons” used by males sparring to win mates. “This is the earliest known structure that we can point to and say, ‘Yeah, I’m pretty sure that this is an animal weapon used in reproductive competition,’ ” he said.
Furthermore, Gishlick explained: “Generally, organisms that are involved in interspecific combat over mates are highly dimorphic” — varying in appearance from one sex to the other — “because only one does the competition, and generally in the animal world that’s the male.”
Growing features such as big combat-ready horns requires a lot of energy, and female animals already have to expend lots of it to produce eggs.
If the trilobites’ tridents are the first evidence of sexual weapons, then they could also be the earliest known evidence of sexual dimorphism. There’s one problem with this hypothesis, however: Scientists have no definitive means of telling which Walliserops are male and which are female, and no trident-less Walliserops have been discovered.
That might be due to bias by fossil collectors, who Gishlick said often prioritize bigger, flashier specimens, or because the females might be labeled as entirely different species. “This to me makes it very clear that you better be looking for females,” Gishlick said.
Erin McCullough, an assistant professor of biology at Clark University in Massachusetts, said she agrees with the researchers’ conclusion that the trilobite tridents were likely used for interspecies combat. However, she’s not sold on their argument that this was a trait only possessed by males.
“In general, if there’s going to be an extravagant trait that’s used for fighting for mates, usually, it’s the males that have the extravagant trait, but biology is fun because there’s always exceptions — female reindeer have antlers,” said McCullough, who was not involved with the study (but whose beetle analyses Gishlick and Fortey drew upon for their work).
“If they are arguing that these are male weapons that are used to gain access to females, it would have been a stronger story to me if they had evidence that the females don’t have weapons.”
Houston taqueria customer shoots robber: Grand jury to determine whether armed man will be charged for Eric Washington’s death
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A grand jury will decide whether an armed taqueria customer, who shot and killed a robber last week in southwest Houston and is now being hailed a hero, will be criminally charged.
Investigators said the 46-year-old customer, who police have not identified because he’s not under arrest, turned himself in and is cooperating with detectives.
ORIGINAL REPORT: Houston robbery shooting: Customer shoots, kills robber armed with plastic pistol, police say
The 46-year-old’s attorney sent Eyewitness News the following statement:
“My client, who wishes to remain anonymous, was dining with a friend at El Ranchito Taqueria and as it has been seen on video, a robbery suspect entered the restaurant, and pointed a weapon at my client and the other customers demanding money. In fear of his life and his friend’s life my client acted to protect everyone in the restaurant.
In Texas, a shooting is justified in self-defense, defense of others and in defense of property. The customer has met with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office and Investigators with HPD homicide. He fully intends to continue cooperating with the ongoing investigation.
When the investigation is complete, this case will be presented to a Grand Jury. We are confident that a Grand Jury will conclude that the shooting was justified under Texas Law. This event has been very traumatic, taking a human life is something he does not take lightly and will burden him for the rest of his life. For that reason, he wishes to remain anonymous. Due to the overwhelming coverage, we ask the media and the public to respect his privacy.”
University of Houston Law Center Professor Sandra Guerra Thompson said even if he is indicted, a jury likely would not convict.
“When a person uses force during an armed robbery, they have very heightened protection under the law,” Thompson explained. “I know that there are a lot of questions about the use of a gun because it wasn’t a real firearm, but that really doesn’t make a difference because it was used as a firearm and a person would reasonably believe that they were facing an immediate threat of deadly force.”
The suspect can be seen on video taking control of the taqueria and pointing what looks like a gun at customers.
Suddenly, one customer starts shooting, even moving closer to the suspect as he keeps firing shots.
He puts what looks like the customers’ stolen money back on the table, then appears to realize the suspect’s gun wasn’t real.
The customers, including the shooter, left, leaving the owner and the workers in the shop.
On Monday, the medical examiner identified 30-year-old Eric Eugene Washington as the robbery suspect who was killed.
Records show Washington had an extensive criminal history and was out on bond during the would-be robbery.
Records show that in 2015, Washington was convicted on a lesser charge of aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon and sentenced to 15 years in prison in connection to the shooting death of 62-year-old Hamid Waraich, a cell phone store owner. Houston police also charged two other men.
According to records, Washington was released on parole in 2021 and charged with assaulting his girlfriend in December 2022.
Waraich had a fiancée and three sons who reacted strongly when contacted by ABC13.
“If the guy who sopped Eric was around 10 years ago, maybe I’d still have my dad,” Aman Waraich, the son of the store clerk that was killed, said.
“Eric was an evil criminal that took joy in harassing and robbing innocent families. The individual at the taqueria is a true hero!” Sean Waraich, the victim’s other son, added. “He did the right thing in stopping the robber and in protecting the community from a dangerous perpetrator.”
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Taylor Greene says Jan. 6 Capitol attack ‘would’ve been armed’ if she planned it
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said Saturday that the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol “would’ve been armed” if she and former Trump adviser Steve Bannon had planned it.
Speaking at a gala for the New York Young Republicans Club, the far-right lawmaker appeared to hit back at claims that she was somehow involved in plotting the Capitol riot.
“Then Jan. 6 happened. And next thing you know, I organized the whole thing, along with Steve Bannon here. And I will tell you something, if Steve Bannon and I had organized that, we would have won. Not to mention, it would’ve been armed,” Taylor Greene told the audience.
“See that’s the whole joke, isn’t it. They say that whole thing was planned and I’m like, are you kidding me? A bunch of conservatives, second amendment supporters, went in the Capitol without guns, and they think that we organized that?” Taylor Greene added, per footage shared online.
Greene, an outspoken ally of former President Trump, has long espoused his false claims of fraud during the 2020 presidential election. She was questioned earlier this year by the House select committee investigating Jan. 6 over her role in efforts to stop the certification of President Biden’s win.
Many supporters of Trump who came to Washington on Jan. 6 did bring weapons, and leaders of the Oath Keepers militia group were found guilty last month for seditious conspiracy. Members of the group allegedly stockpiled suitcases full of weapons at a Virginia hotel as part of its planning around that day.
On the morning of Jan. 6, Trump reportedly complained that some of his armed supporters were unable to join the crowd at his speech at the Ellipse, and then called on those same supporters to march to the Capitol, according to former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson.
Gavin Wax, president of the New York Young Republicans Club, told the audience at Saturday’s gala that Republicans “want war” against the left.
“We want to cross the Rubicon. We want total war. We must be prepared to do battle in every arena. In the media. In the courtroom. At the ballot box. And in the streets,” Wax said, as reported by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
“This is the only language the left understands. The language of pure and unadulterated power,” Wax added.
Christian Glass: 2 Colorado deputies have been fired and indicted for the fatal shooting of a 22-year-old armed with a knife who called 911 for help
CNN
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Two Colorado deputies have been indicted and fired following investigations into the June fatal police shooting of Christian Glass, a 22-year-old man who was armed with a knife and had called 911 for roadside assistance, officials and family attorneys say.
A grand jury Wednesday delivered an indictment against Clear Creek County Sheriff’s deputies Andrew Buen, 29, and Kyle Gould, 36, according to Fifth Judicial District Attorney Heidi McCollum’s office.
Buen is charged with 2nd degree murder, official misconduct and reckless endangerment, while Gould is charged with criminally negligent homicide and reckless endangerment, according to online court records.
The charges stem from the killing of Glass, who was shot in the early morning of June 11 – more than an hour after police first arrived – and pronounced dead on scene, according to the sheriff’s office. The autopsy report showed Glass’ injuries were fatal and included five gunshot wounds to the torso and one to his right arm.
The Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office received a “motorist assist” call on June 10 at 11:21 p.m. for what appeared to be a vehicle accident, the office said, but said its driver, Glass, “immediately became argumentative and uncooperative with the Deputies and had armed himself with a knife.”
The family of Glass have disputed this characterization, saying in September that their son didn’t carry weapons and the knives were rock tools used for carving rocks as a form of art.
Bond for Buen was set at $50,000 and for Gould set at $2,500. No attorney is listed for either, and both men are listed as in custody at the Gilpin County Detention Facility, according to online records.
CNN is working to obtain copies of the indictments.
Following the indictment, both deputies were fired, according to a statement from the Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office.
The statement called the indictment “part of a painful but necessary process,” and “policy and procedural failures” were found in an ongoing internal investigation parallel to the criminal investigation.
“While the investigation is still underway, preliminary findings show there were policy and procedural failures, and the initial news release about the shooting, based on the information available at the time of the incident, does not reflect the entirety of what happened on that terrible night,” the statement said.
A statement from Glass’ family attorneys said, “Nothing will bring Christian back to his family,” but noted they were relieved by the charges.
“However, justice for Christian will require all those involved being held accountable. Christian’s death is a stain on every officer who was present and failed to prevent the escalation and unnecessary uses of force,” the statement said.
In 911 call audio released by Glass’ family in September, he tells the dispatcher, “I have a weapon on me. I will throw them out the window as soon as an officer gets here” and continues to describe having two knives, a hammer and a rubber mallet.
Body camera video of the incident released by the family shows Glass offering to throw the weapons out of the car and a responding officer telling him not to do so.
“He actually offered to throw his rock knives and his tools out of the window so they wouldn’t be worried. But they told him no and he obeyed,” Glass’ mother, Sally Glass, said at a news conference in September.
In the body camera video, responding deputies can be heard asking Glass to exit the vehicle several times.
One responding officer asks Glass if he had taken any drugs, to which Glass responds “I smoked, I’ve been …” before becoming distracted by an officer placing what attorneys for the family said were tack strips behind his car, the video shows.
The autopsy report released by attorneys for the Glass family stated that Glass had both THC and amphetamine in his system.
Deputies were able to break out the car’s windows and remove one of the knives, but Glass re-armed himself with a rock and a second knife, according to the sheriff’s office. In the video, deputies can be heard repeatedly asking Glass to drop the knife.
Deputies deployed bean bags and a taser “with negative results” before Glass “eventually tried to stab an officer,” according to the sheriff’s office.
Body camera video shows law enforcement then shot Glass with a stun gun before he can be seen twisting and then seemingly thrusting a knife toward an officer before police fired multiple gun shots. The video then shows Glass apparently stabbing himself.
The body camera video released by the attorneys for the family has been edited to blur Glass’ body.
“The only thing we have edited from the videos is after Christian is removed from the car. We blur the screen where his body is on the ground and medical treatment is being provided to his body. We felt it wasn’t appropriate to have Christian’s naked body out there in the world,” attorney Siddhartha Rathod said.
CNN has requested an unedited copy of the body camera footage from the Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office.
In a statement in September, Glass’ family and attorneys said he was having a mental health episode.
“There was no need to threaten him with force; to draw guns; to break his car window; to fire beanbag rounds from a close distance; to tase him; to shoot him dead. From beginning to end, the officers on scene acted unconscionably and inhumanely,” Glass’ parents and attorneys said.
Ukrainian Armed Forces eliminate group of 300 Russians preparing an assault near Maiorsk General Staff report
UKRAINSKA PRAVDA — SATURDAY, 29 OCTOBER 2022, 06:39
On 28 October, the Armed Forces of Ukraine eliminated a group of around 300 Russian soldiers preparing for an assault near Maiorsk in Donetsk Oblast.
Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook, information as of 06:00 on 29 October
Quote: “As a result of high-precision strikes carried out by units of Ukraine’s defence forces, a group of 300 occupiers preparing for a new assault was eliminated yesterday in the vicinity of Maiorsk.”
Details: The following day, around 60 slightly injured Russian soldiers were hospitalised in Horlivka. Up to 20 Russian soldiers were killed and 30 sustained injuries of various severity in the villages of Chervonopopivka in Luhansk Oblast as a result of an attack by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Russian forces have been forced to evacuate injured soldiers to the city of Voronezh by bus as a result of the lack of a reliable air ambulance service, the poorly prepared medical infrastructure in Belgorod Oblast, and the fact that all local hospitals there are already at full capacity.
Over the course of the past 24 hours, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have repelled Russian attacks in the vicinity of Vodiane, Kamianka and Nevelske (Donetsk Oblast). Russian forces carried out up to 25 airstrikes and 4 missile strikes, as well as over 70 attacks using multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS). More than 35 Ukrainian cities, towns and villages came under Russian fire, including Siversk and Prechystivka (Donetsk Oblast), Mali Shcherbaky (Zaporizhzhia Oblast), Davydiv Brid and Mala Seidemynukha (Kherson Oblast), and Kobzartsi (Mykolaiv Oblast).
There were no significant changes on the Volyn and Polissia fronts. The Republic of Belarus is continuing to aid and support Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine. There is an ongoing threat of missile strikes from the territory of Belarus, including with the use of attack UAVs.
On other fronts, the Russians continued to fire on military and civilian targets:
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On the Sivershchyna front: Russian forces deployed mortars and tubed artillery to fire on areas in and around Hai, Khrinivka and Leonivka (Chernihiv Oblast);
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On the Slobozhanshchyna front: Russian forces deployed various types of artillery to fire on areas in and around Veterynarne, Dvorichna, Starytsia, Strilecha and Chuhunivka
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On the Kupiansk and Lyman fronts: Russian forces deployed mortars and tubed and rocket artillery to fire on areas in and around Berestove, Nevske, Spirne, Olhivka and Novoyehorivka;
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On the Bakhmut front: the Russians deployed tank and artillery of various calibres to fire on areas in and around Bakhmut, Bakhmutske, Bilohorivka, Chasiv Yar, Klishchiivka, Soledar, Zelenopillia and Yakovlivka;
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On the Avdiivka front: the Russians deployed tank guns, mortars and tubed and rocket artillery to fire on areas in the vicinity of Avdiivka, Vodiane, Marinka, Novomykhailivka and Pervomaiske;
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On the Novopavlivka and Zaporizhzhia fronts the Russians carried out attacks on the positions of Ukraine’s defence forces and civilian infrastructure in the vicinity of Velyka Novosilka, Vremivka, Huliaipole, Zaliznychne and Pavlivka;
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On the Pivdennyi Buh front, over 20 cities, towns and villages situated along the line of contact came under Russian fire. Russian forces carried out around 20 UAV sorties in order to conduct aerial reconnaissance in the area.
Russian forces are continuing their attempts to advance on the Bakhmut and Avdiivka fronts.
In the city of Beryslav in Kherson Oblast, soldiers from the Russian occupation forces are abandoning their military uniforms for plain clothes and moving into people’s homes. The so-called “evacuation” initiated by the Russian occupation regime in Kherson continues apace. The Russians are stealing and taking away all medical equipment and medicines from hospitals in Kherson. Doctors who have refused to “evacuate” are banned from entering the hospitals even to collect their personal belongings.
On 28 October, Ukrainian aircraft carried out 24 airstrikes on clusters of Russian military personnel, weapons and equipment and anti-aircraft defence systems. In addition, Ukrainian air defence forces struck down two Russian Su-25 attack jets, as well as two Mi-8 helicopters and one UAV. Ukraine’s Rocket Forces and Artillery struck positions of Russian self-propelled artillery systems and other crucial military targets.
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California family of four found dead after armed kidnapping, police say
“Tonight, our worst fears have been confirmed,” Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke said Wednesday in a news conference. “We found the four people from the kidnapping, and they are in fact deceased.”
Officers were called to an “extremely rural farm area” around 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday by a farmhand who came across the victims’ bodies while at work, Warnke said. Deputies and detectives arrived at the scene and found the bodies of the victims “relatively close together,” he said.
Authorities at a news conference played CCTV footage that showed an armed man walking into a building off South Highway 59 that was identified as the family’s trucking business. The man was then seen leaving with the family members, some of whom appeared to have their hands zip-tied behind their backs, and loading them into a vehicle before driving away.
Earlier in the day, authorities said they took a person of interest in the kidnapping into custody. Identified as Jesus Manuel Salgado, 48, he tried to take his own life before he was apprehended and was taken to a hospital in critical condition, the sheriff’s office said. At a previous news conference, county law enforcement officials said Salgado was convicted of a robbery in 2005 and released on parole in 2015.
Authorities said the motive behind the kidnapping was still unclear Wednesday. Investigators, including crime lab experts, were planning to work through the night to comb through the crime scene, Warnke said. “Now, our focus is on conviction,” he added.
Family members of the victims were notified of their deaths Wednesday and connected with resources for “spiritual guidance,” Warnke said.
“There are no words right now to describe the anger I feel and the senselessness of this incident,” Warnke said.
Andrea Salcedo contributed to this report.
Sen. Ron Johnson downplays Jan. 6 as ‘not what an armed insurrection would look like’
“The ‘armed insurrectionists’ stayed within the rope lines in the Rotunda,” Johnson added, making air-quote gestures with his fingers. “I’m sorry — that’s not what an armed insurrection would look like. I don’t think they’d be able to reopen Congress about six hours later and complete the counting of electoral votes if there literally had been an ‘armed insurrection.’ So again, I realize that term has been used to inflame the situation.”
Johnson did not mention that many rioters went beyond the rope lines, ransacking congressional offices, damaging sculptures and art, and causing about $1.5 million worth of damage. At the insistence of top lawmakers, Congress reconvened about six hours after the attack, despite there still being shattered glass, broken furniture and what a spokesperson for the Committee on House Administration called “corrosive gas agent residue.” Rep. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) said there was “garbage and debris everywhere.”
The attack on the Capitol also left five people dead, including a police officer and a woman shot by police. Two other officers who were on duty that day later died by suicide.
Johnson’s comments Tuesday were swiftly condemned by several Democratic lawmakers and at least one member of the Biden administration.
“Ron Johnson continues to downplay the violence of Jan 6, glossing over how the mob seriously wounded police officers,” tweeted Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.). “January 6 was a deadly attempt to overturn the election. To call it anything else is a disservice to the brave men & women who protected our democracy that day.”
“To call what happened on Jan. 6 an ‘armed insurrection,” I just think is inaccurate,” Sen. Ron Johnson says at Milwaukee Rotary Club just now.
Johnson argued few weapons were confiscated but protesters “did teach us how you can use a flag pole” pic.twitter.com/28E3W7G3eg
— Natasha Korecki (@natashakorecki) October 4, 2022
“It WAS an armed insurrection,” tweeted former Republican congressman Joe Walsh, who has since left the GOP. “@RonJohnsonWI is wrong. And in November, the people of Wisconsin should tell him he’s wrong.”
Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes (D), who is running for Senate against Johnson, tweeted that his opponent is “still covering for the Jan. 6 insurrectionists.”
“This is NOT who we are or what we stand for in Wisconsin,” Barnes tweeted. “It’s time to vote him out.”
Johnson also said Tuesday that “protesters did teach us all how you can use flagpoles, that kind of stuff, as weapons.” In video of the Jan. 6 attack, law enforcement officers outside the Capitol were shown being harassed, beaten and sprayed with gas substances by members of the mob. One of the Capitol Police officers who responded that day, Caroline Edwards, said she was struck in the head with a bike rack. She later described the scene as “carnage,” recalling how officers were on the ground, bleeding and throwing up. In one video from the attack, a rioter can be seen bashing a fallen police officer with a pole flying the American flag.
“You mean the January 6th attackers ‘did teach us how you can use a flag pole’ to brutally beat police officers, @SenRonJohnson?” deputy White House press secretary Andrew Bates tweeted Tuesday in response to Johnson’s remarks.
In a statement, Johnson’s office claimed that the senator had said “summer protesters,” not “some of the protesters,” and that he had been referring to people protesting the killing of George Floyd in the summer of 2020.
“This clip is completely and deceptively taken out of context to push a political narrative,” Johnson spokeswoman Alexa Henning said in an email. “He acknowledges the left-wing rioters know how to use flagpoles and other metal objects and water bottles as weapons. But there is a distinction between that and an armed insurrection.”
Johnson was “in no way condoning this action,” Henning added.
This is not the first time Johnson has downplayed the severity of the Jan. 6 attack. Several Democrats last year called on Johnson to step down after he said on a conservative radio show that the Capitol rioters hadn’t scared him — but that they might have had they been Black Lives Matter protesters. On Tuesday, Johnson reiterated part of those sentiments.
“I did say I was never afraid on Jan. 6 because it’s true,” Johnson said. “I was in the Senate chamber. They closed the doors. My assumption was that a couple of crazy people got by security. … About five, 10 minutes later they opened up the door and said go back to your office. And I went back to my office and then I saw the violence.”
Johnson’s comments came as a trial began this week for several members of the extremist Oath Keepers group who allegedly traveled to Washington and staged firearms near the Capitol before forcing entry through the Capitol Rotunda doors in combat and tactical gear in the Jan. 6 attack. Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes and four co-defendants face seditious conspiracy and other charges; they have pleaded not guilty to felony charges alleging that they conspired for weeks after the 2020 presidential election to unleash political violence to oppose the lawful transfer of power to Biden.
Spencer S. Hsu, Tom Jackman and Rachel Weiner contributed to this report.