CLEARWATER, Fla. — A Florida man was arrested on Thursday, December 19, and charged with assaulting law enforcement with a weapon and other counts related to his alleged conduct during the January 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol.
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His alleged actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.
Joel Linn O’Donnell, 44, is facing several charges out of Washington, D.C., in connection with the violent attempt to stop the certification of President Joe Biden’s 2020 election win. He was arrested in Clearwater and made his first appearance in Florida, the Justice Department said in a news release.
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Charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with seven offenses, including assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers with a deadly or dangerous weapon; assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers; obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder; entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon; and engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon.
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In addition to the felonies, O’Donnell, who is a Clearwater native, is charged with two misdemeanor offenses of disorderly conduct in a Capitol building and an act of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings.
According to court documents, on January 6, 2021, O’Donnell attended a rally near the Ellipse in Washington, D.C., and afterward, joined a large crowd marching toward the U.S. Capitol building. Once on Capitol grounds, O’Donnell positioned himself at the Lower West Plaza.
Accompanied by an associate, O’Donnell moved closer to the Capitol building, transitioning from the West Front to the Upper West Terrace. There, he joined a mass of rioters on temporary stadium-style risers as objects were hurled at police officers nearby. The crowd reportedly chanted “TRAITORS!” at law enforcement officers attempting to control the unrest.
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The FBI’s Tampa and Washington Field Offices are investigating this case. On their seeking information images, the FBI identified Gonzalez as AFO (Assault on Federal Officer) BOLO (Be on the Lookout) #352.
The United States Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department provided valuable assistance.
In the 47 months since January 6, 2021, more than 1,572 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 590 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony.
The investigation remains ongoing.
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