(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Five Insurrectionists Who Led Barricade Assault Injuring Officer Caroline Edwards Now Standing Trial [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-10-30 If it weren’t for two violent conflicts currently raging, the multiple legal travails of the #FPOTUS, the recent GOP Speaker debacle, and the constant gun violence in this country; this would probably be big news... Courthouse News A federal judge heard opening arguments (last) Monday in the trial of five rioters accused of being the first to breach the initial police line outside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Ryan Samsel, James Grant, Paul Johnson, Stephen Randolph and Jason Blythe face charges for actions at the Peace Circle — a roundabout on Pennsylvania Avenue at the edge of the Capitol grounds — where federal prosecutors say they lifted and pushed a metal barricade, driving back the Capitol police officers stationed there. “This moment marked the beginning of the Capitol riot,” said Justice Department prosecutor Kyle Mirabelli to U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb, a Joe Biden appointee, at the start of the government’s case. The following video comes with a warning... x IMPORTANT: this is exact moment the siege of the Capitol building began as the two men in front ripped down a preliminary barrier & rushed officers who were behind a 2nd barrier They then encouraged others to follow their lead. Officers appeared to be taken completely off guard pic.twitter.com/LE0a01PXBi — E (@ElijahSchaffer) January 6, 2021 Officer Edwards testified at the trial last week... NBC News U.S. Capitol Police Officer Caroline Edwards, the first officer seriously injured on Jan. 6, 2021, testified (last) Wednesday afternoon in the bench trial of Ryan Samsel and four other Trump supporters. Samsel, who was carrying an enormous flag that featured Trump depicted as Rambo from the Sylvester Stallone films, is accused of pushing a metal bike rack into officers, causing Edwards to stumble back and hit her head and briefly black out. (snip) Edwards is now a peer support counselor for officers, helping other officers who had emotional trauma after the attack. Several officers who served at the Capitol on Jan. 6 have died by suicide, including Jeffrey Smith, who was found to have died in the line of duty because his suicide was a direct result of the assaults he endured on Jan. 6. Samsel is represented by Stanley Woodward, a Washington attorney who had represented several other Jan. 6 defendants, as well as Trump aides who have been caught up in the federal investigations being run by special counsel Jack Smith. One of the aides, Walt Nauta, was charged in the classified documents case in Florida and had pleaded not guilty. It’s been a year and a half since I wrote about the most notorious of these defendants, Ryan Stephen Samsel, of Bristol, Pennsylvania... Cherry Hill Courier-Post Samsel has opted for a bench trial before U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb, who rejected his bid for pretrial release. (snip) She ordered Samsel moved to a District of Columbia facility prior to the trial. Samsel and his co-defendants are charged with 10 offenses, including civil disorder, committing an act of violence in a Capitol building or grounds; and obstruction of an official proceeding." Samsel faces additional charges tied to his alleged effort to take the riot shield and to throwing the plank at police, as well as a separate accusation of civil disorder. The Philadelphia Inquirer Just before 1 p.m. on Jan. 6, 2021, Ryan Samsel, of Bristol, led a group of four men in toppling a bike rack-barricade outside the U.S. Capitol, concussing an officer, and opening the floodgates to thousands of angry supporters of former President Donald Trump who would soon overrun the building. As federal prosecutors tell it, that moment — before the smashing of windows and doors, before the all-out brawls that erupted with police, and before the violence that sent members of Congress scurrying from the mob that seized control of their chambers — was the precipitous incident in an attack on the U.S. government unrivaled in American history. “[Samsel] and his codefendants cleared the way [for] the hours of terror, violence, destruction and injury that followed,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Mirabelli wrote in a recent court filing. James Tate Grant of Hot Springs, North Carolina had his bail revoked in January 2022 after getting drunk and stupid a month earlier... WUSA James Tate Grant was arrested in Wake County, North Carolina, last month following an incident at a restaurant. According to police, when officers pulled into the restaurant’s parking lot, Grant flagged them down and said, “They probably called on me,” and said he had been involved in the Capitol riot. Grant, who was behind the wheel, appeared to be intoxicated, police said. While being placed under arrest, he attempted to flee, and then allegedly dropped to the ground, saying, “Just kill me now. It’s over.” A subsequent search of his vehicle turned up an AR-15 assault rifle, 60 rounds of ammunition and combat fatigues. (snip) "There seems to be a toxic combination of substance abuse problems, alleged mental health issues and repeated access to firearms that poses a really serious threat to the community," Kelly said. Paul Russell Johnson of Lenexa, Virginia couldn’t help but brag that night about his exploits... Williamsburg Yorktown Daily Paul Russell Johnson, 35, was charged with inflicting bodily injury on certain officers, obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder, obstruction of justice and Congress, engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds and acts of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings. (snip) “He can be seen forcibly pushing and pulling on the metal barricades which caused a USCP officer to fall and hit her head on the stairs before losing consciousness. Hours later, the officer blacked out and collapsed while arresting a rioter and had to be transported to the emergency room where she was assessed to have suffered a concussion,” the news release stated. Later in the evening of Jan. 6, a YouTube user posted a video in which Johnson described the events that took place outside the Capitol earlier that day. Throughout the video, Johnson described the number of barricades, how he and others fought with officers, and his role in breaching the second wing. Stephen Chase Randolph of Harrodsburg, Kentucky was caught with the help of facial recognition technology... Daily Mail A suspected US Capitol rioter accused of attacking three cops and whose image was circulated on social media with the hashtag #GrayCarharttHat was arrested after the FBI used facial recognition software to find his girlfriend's Instagram. Stephen Chase Randolph, of Harrodsburg in Kentucky, was arrested on Tuesday and charged with assaulting a federal officer, obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder and obstruction of justice and Congress, according to the FBI statement. Randolph was identified as an alleged rioter thanks to sophisticated facial recognition software that matched images of him at the riots to photos uploaded to his partner's social media from December 2020, the FBI revealed. Jason Benjamin Blythe of Fort Worth, Texas seems to have avoided media attention except mentions in relation to his co-defendants… WFAA Officials announced Monday that 26-year-old Jason Blythe, of Fort Worth, was named in a superseding indictment returned in the District of Columbia. (snip) Blythe is accused of taking part in attacks at the Peace Circle, in which a metal crowd control barrier was used against two officers from the U.S. Capitol Police, including one who sustained bodily injury. Blythe was arrested by the North Texas Joint Terrorism Task Force in Fort Worth and faces several charges, including civil disorder, assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers with a deadly and dangerous weapon, and engaging in and carrying out an act of physical violence in the Capitol grounds. identifying individuals who participated in unlawful conduct during the Capitol Insurrection. New images are added frequently... The FBI continues to seek the public’s assistance inwho participated in unlawful conduct during the Capitol Insurrection. New images are added frequently... x The #FBI is still seeking information regarding people who committed violence at the U.S. Capitol on January 6. Visit https://t.co/AWQVD3Hx3Y to see photos and videos from current cases, and if you recognize someone, submit a tip at https://t.co/t8G7LO4hxu. pic.twitter.com/zxJuYvr8zD — FBI Washington Field (@FBIWFO) August 18, 2021 If you have information about individuals who participated in the largest assault on police officers in U.S. history at the Capitol Riot on January 6th, call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-‪800-225-5324) or leave a tip online at the FBI’s website . If you just can’t get enough information about the terrorists who tried to usurp our democracy, then these links are for you… I’ll let you all know when the trial ends and the judge reaches a verdict... 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