A Texas man was found guilty of five felonies committed during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
People ran away from tear gas as supporters of then-President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Guy Reffitt of Wylie has been found guilty of five felonies during the first trial related to the riot., our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.
Reffitt “lighted that crowd into an unstoppable force” that pushed through officers making a “last stand” defending the Senate wing doors, the prosecutor said. The riot forced the evacuation of Vice President Mike Pence and lawmakers as ballot boxes holding the Electoral College election results were shuttled to safety.
At 2:09 p.m., members of that crowd breached police lines and broke into the building, Berkower said. Reffitt’s “decision to step forward and take on police officers allowed the crowd behind not just to advance but to adapt,” she said. The group tore down tarp to protect themselves and climbed up exposed inauguration state scaffolding to flank officers.
Although Reffitt repeatedly asserted that he was armed during the riot, Welch said an FBI case agent only testified that he could see from video that the defendant was carrying a “silver, metallic linear object” in a hip holster. The agent said an FBI search recovered a holstered, silver .40-caliber pistol from Reffitt’s nightstand, which Reffitt and Reffitt’s son said he always carried.
Capitol Police Inspector Monique Moore, who helmed the force’s command center that day, broke down as she recalled hearing officers “screaming for help.” It was “about to turn into a hand-to-hand battle … ” Flood said. “It was very dangerous. We were definitely outnumbered.” Welch countered that Hardie, who said that his business and home were raided by the FBI days after the riot and that he quit the Three Percenters, was spared prosecution for his testimony.