Washington, D.C./ Crime & Emergencies
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Published on April 11, 2024
Missouri Man Charged with Assaulting Officers During January 6 Capitol RiotSource: U.S. Attorney's Office

A Missouri man faces a slew of charges for his alleged violent actions during the January 6 Capitol riot, federal authorities said Monday. Jack Westly Ryan, 62, from Warrensburg, was nabbed by the FBI on allegations of physically assaulting law enforcement officers and obstructing them amid the chaos that unfolded as Congress was set to confirm the 2020 presidential election results.

Ryan, who was seen on body-worn camera footage during the insurrection, was hit with multiple charges including felony offenses of obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder and assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers, the Department of Justice announced. Along with the felonies, he’s facing misdemeanors for disorderly conduct and violence within the hallowed halls and grounds of the Capitol, Ryan made his initial court appearance in the Western District of Missouri after being taken into custody in Kansas City.

On the day of the breach, it is alleged that Ryan participated in the rally held by the former President before making his way to the Capitol, prosecutors claim. He is accused of being among the crowd that resisted and taunted officers as they tried to through, a confrontation captured on the officers' body cameras, showing the Missouri man allegedly engaging in the assault.

The case against Ryan joins a sprawling probe that has seen more than 1,387 individuals charged thus far, with many facing accusations of violent conduct toward police; the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section is handling the prosecution, with the FBI's Kansas City and Washington Field Offices leading the investigation, according to authorities. This case marks the latest in a long series of continuing repercussions from the events of January 6, which have yet to fully subside.