By Stephen Rex Brown
New York Daily News
RIDGEFIELD, Conn. — A Connecticut man was charged Wednesday with pushing a police officer against a door with a riot shield during the U.S. Capitol riots as the cop screamed in agony.
Authorities said Patrick McCaughey III participated in the “vicious attack” on Metropolitan Police Officer Daniel Hodges, which was one of the most disturbing videos to emerge from the Jan. 6 mayhem.
The baby-faced rioter pushed the cop using a police riot shield while the officer was pinned against a Capitol door, according to court papers. As Hodges cried out in agony, another rioter ripped off the cop’s gas mask, revealing a bloodied mouth, video showed. McCaughey continued to push as other rioters added weight against the officer, authorities charged.
“Even after days of seeing so many shocking and horrific scenes from the siege on the U.S. Capitol, the savage beating of D.C. Metropolitan Police Officer Hodges stands out for the perpetrator’s blatant disregard for human life,” said Steven D’Antuono, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office. “Patrick McCaughey’s actions were violent, barbaric, and completely out of control.”
McCaughey took selfies while sporting transition lenses on the scaffolding around the U.S. Capitol before the violent encounter, according to court documents. Authorities said they received several tips identifying McCaughey.
He was arrested in Salem, N.Y. on Tuesday on charges of assaulting an officer, civil disorder, entering a restricted building and and disorderly conduct.
He was due to be presented in U.S. District Court in White Plains.
“The vicious attack on Officer Hodges was abhorrent and quintessentially un-American,” said Acting D.C. U.S. Attorney Michael Sherwin. “McCaughey’s alleged actions were an assault on Officer Hodges, the Capitol, and the rule of law itself.”
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