Seattle Interim Police Chief Adrian Diaz terminated two officers from the department after a six-month investigation, which concluded that they approached the Capitol riots on January 6.
Diaz Said in a statement On Friday, two police officers crossed the outdoor barrier set up by the Capitol Police and came to a restricted area near the Capitol.
He wrote: “In the case of violent criminal riots, it is ridiculous to say that they don’t know they are in an area where they should not be.” “The participation of these two police officers in the crowd is for our department. The stain is also a stain on people who work every day to protect our communities, provide services to those in need, and do so with compassion and dignity.”
Diaz’s decision was made after months of investigation led by the Office of Police Accountability (OPA), a civil society operating within the department.
In July, OPA released a detail report Checked the behavior of two Seattle police officers captured in the video that day. OPA concluded that the two police officers violated the policies of the Seattle Police Department and the laws of Washington, DC.
Alexander Everett, one of the two police officers, said that he decided to go to the Capitol that day because of the former president Donald Trump “Ask people to be there,” the OPA report reads. He said Trump specifically asked people to “stand up and keep peace.”
He added that he was there to exercise the rights of the First Amendment and stated that the investigation was discriminatory against his political views.
According to the report, the second police officer, Caitlin Everett, said that she did not see any signs that she was in the restricted area, nor did she see anyone dressed to indicate that they were preparing to commit a crime.
“them [the two cops] OPA Director Andrew Myerberg directly witnessed people tarnishing the seat of American democracy and beating law enforcement officials – but doing nothing – which made it worse Said in a press statement After the survey was released.
In July, four policemen Testify before a House Committee Tell about their experience fighting the Capitol mob on January 6.The insurgents attacked about 140 military officers that day-about 80 from the U.S. Capitol Policemen According to the US Department of Justice, approximately 60 people are from the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department. Five of the officers later died and four committed suicide.
Aquilino Gonell, a U.S. Capitol Police testifying at a Congressional hearing, recalled: “This is how I want to die.” Another Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn talked about Until I heard the mob used racial slander against him. “These words are weapons,” he said. “People in our country can cause this situation, and it makes us very painful.”
Weekly newspaper The Seattle Police Department and the Police Accountability Office were contacted, but they had no further comment.
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