Seattle man charged with assaulting officer in Capitol riot

Several groups calling for an apology or a resignation from Seattle Police Union president after tweet

SPOG President Mike Solan is in hot water over social media posts. 

WASHINGTON (AP) - A 51-year-old Seattle man has been charged with assaulting a federal police officer when a mob of pro-Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol last week.

The Seattle Times reports that Mark J. Leffingwell was also charged Thursday in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia with entering a restricted building and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.

In the criminal complaint filed against Leffingwell, a Capitol Police officer said that while forming a barrier with other officers to block a crowd from entering the Senate wing through a first-floor window, Leffingwell attempted to push past and then repeatedly punched an officer.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington D.C. confirmed Sunday that Leffingwell is from Seattle, the newspaper reported, which Leffingwell stated on the record during a proceeding before a magistrate judge on Friday.

Leffingwell was released on his personal recognizance to a third-party custodian — his wife. Leffingwell and his attorney did not respond to requests for comment by the newspaper.

Meanwhile, Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz is holding a news briefing at 12:30 p.m. Monday (Jan. 11) to discuss the status of two SPD officers who attended the march in DC. It's unclear whether the two were involved in the illegal attack on the Capitol or whether Leffingwell is an employee of the SPD. You can watch Diaz's update below: