New York GOP district leader arrested for role in Capitol riot

A New York Republican district leader from Queens has been arrested after photos and videos have surfaced showing him breaking into the Capitol during the insurrection on Jan. 6. 

Philip Grillo, a representative for Assembly District 24, was arrested on Monday after it was confirmed he was at the Capitol riot and inside the building on Jan. 6, federal prosecutors said Tuesday, according to a Gothamist report.

Grillo recorded himself in his Knights of Columbus jacket on as he walked through the Capitol halls after coming in through a broken window, court papers say.

The 46-year-old has been a vocal Trump supporter in his community and has called his district “Trump’s Hometown District,” The Daily News reported. 

Grillo was among the first to get in the building and “engaged in a physical confrontation with uniformed officers at the entryway,” according to court documents. 

“I know him to be a very dedicated district leader in the county,” Republican New York City Councilman Eric Ulrich told Gothamist. “Generally speaking I always found him to be someone who was very sensible and normal.”

“If the charges against him are proven to be true then he should resign and pay the price for the crimes he allegedly committed,” Ulrich added.

Grillo is set to appear in Brooklyn Federal Court on Tuesday. 

Hundreds of people have been arrested since the Capitol riot on Jan. 6 that injured many and left five people dead.