A Texas man with alleged ties to the militant group "Proud Boys" has been nabbed on a slew of charges, including the assault of federal law enforcement officers during the tempestuous U.S. Capitol riot. The Justice Department announced that Steve Saxiones, 46, from Cedar Hill, is up against serious heat for a felony obstruction rap and for taking on an officer during the pandemonium, as reported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
According to the Feds, Saxiones is not only looking at the felony charges, but also a cocktail of misdemeanors. He's accused of knowingly entering and causing trouble in a restricted area, engaging in violent acts within Capitol grounds, and then some. FBI agents slapped cuffs on Saxiones in Cedar Hill, and he's set for a courtroom face-off in the Northern District of Texas.
With precision, court documents detail how Saxiones, on that infamous afternoon of January 6, muscled his way toward the Capitol, attempting to bulldoze through police barriers. The melee led to Saxiones getting up close and personal with a police officer by latching onto him before other officers joined the fray, resulting in his initial arrest.
In the run-up to the Capitol chaos, Saxiones seemed to orchestrate his moves with precision. He chatted with other Proud Boys cohorts about gear, travel, and the potential for violence in an instant messaging group known as the Ministry of Self Defense. One of Saxiones' messages queried: "What's the deal with flying with body armor? Does TSA f— with you?" He also discussed tactics on evading cell service outage, evidence of a planned disruption laid bare, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutors from the District of Columbia and the DOJ's National Security Division are busy at work on this case, while the Northern District of Texas is lending a helping hand. The FBI's Dallas and Washington Field Offices are knee-deep in the investigation, backed up by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department, as per the official statement.
