Justice charges California man with assaulting officer in Capitol riot

A California man was arrested and faces multiple charges over his alleged role at the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, including for allegedly assaulting a police officer.

The Los Angeles Times reported that 38-year-old Daniel Rodriguez was arrested Wednesday by FBI agents and charged with assaulting an officer and theft of government property along with six other counts.

He has yet to enter a plea, according to CNN, and the Times’s attempts to contact his attorney were unsuccessful. Rodriguez’s identity was first reported by HuffPost in late February.

A law enforcement source told CNN that Rodriguez is one of several thought to have participated in the assault of Michael Fanone, a U.S. Capitol Police officer who told CNN in an interview that he heard rioters urging others to steal Fanone’s gun and murder him with it during the Jan. 6 attack, while Fanone fought back and told rioters he had a family.

Rodriguez currently remains jailed awaiting a bond hearing Thursday. A New York man, Thomas Sibick, also faces charges related to the assault on Fanone.

The FBI has arrested hundreds in response to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and has charged dozens with offenses related to assaulting Capitol Police and other officers from responding agencies.

Dozens of officers were injured during the Capitol attack, according to union officials, who said at least one wounded officer lost an eye and one officer was killed during the riot. Two other officers died by suicide in the days and weeks after the siege.

“We’re grateful to the members of the public who have already been a tremendous help in these investigations,” said the head of the FBI’s Washington, D.C., field office earlier in March, speaking about the ongoing probe. “We know it can be a difficult decision to report information about family, friends, or coworkers, but it is the right thing to do and the FBI continues to need your help to identify these suspects.”

–Updated at 12:00 p.m.