An Illinois man seen in video swinging a pole with a “Trump” flag at officers during the Capitol riots on Jan. 6, 2021, has been arrested on felony and misdemeanor charges, authorities said.
Lance Michael Ligocki, 34, faces felony charges of assaulting officers and civil disorder and several misdemeanor offenses, including trespassing and disorderly conduct.
Wearing American flag-themed pants, a jacket and a matching baseball cap with a bill turned up, Ligocki carried a “Trump” flag and a “Stop the Steal” sign that day, authorities said.
The FBI arrested Ligocki on Thursday. The agency received an anonymous tip on Jan. 15, 2021, that Ligocki admitted to attending the “Stop the Steal” rally and had pictures of the event on his phone that he had been showing friends, officials said.
In November 2021, the FBI received information that an unidentified “individual of interest” with the open-source moniker “#FullFlagSuit” — Ligocki — was seen on Capitol grounds that day, court documents said.
Ligocki allegedly pushed his way through a crowd and repeatedly swung a flag pole at officers guarding the entrance to the Capitol’s Lower West Terrace.
Afterward, Ligocki posted about his Washington trip in typo-laden messages on Facebook, court documents said.
“[I]t was awesome. no one understands how strong and powerful we are,” he allegedly said in one.
“[W]e did breech the capital,” he allegedly said in another. “I’ll give you more details soon. after trumps speech we marched to the capital waiting in pence and polosi”
In another post, he allegedy wrote: “We couldn’t be stopped. They shot that un armed woman out of fear and they mased a woman so many times in the face she Suffocated to death”
“Posting pics of me at the rally,” court documents said he continued. “Trump is a lone Wolf, Pence is a snake and we the people are being silenced”
In another message, he allegedly said: “Everyone I seen is ready to fight. No one wants to talk anymore. I see a civil war of some sort coming”
More than 1,358 people have been charged with crimes related to the U.S. Capitol breach, including more than 486 charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony, officials said.
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