Another Colorado man was arrested and is facing federal charges after authorities say he joined other rioters in pushing a large metal sign into police defending the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, according to court documents.
Thomas Patrick Hamner, 48, of Peyton was arrested in Colorado Springs and charged with engaging in physical violence in a restricted building, civil disorder, and assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers with a dangerous weapon, among other counts.
Hamner is one of several Coloradans who have been charged with federal crimes in the Jan. 6 riot, including former Olympic swimmer Klete Keller. Keller pleaded guilty in September to a sole count of obstruction of Congress, and faces 21 to 27 months in prison under his plea bargain.
According to court documents, video footage shows Hamner fighting with police officers about 1 p.m. alongside a crowd of violent rioters who assembled on the west side of the U.S. Capitol. Using bike racks, police formed a barrier to try to prevent the crowd from entering the building.
Hamner was seen wearing a black helmet and a black sweater decorated with white rifles with the printed message: “Guns Don’t Kill People, Clintons Do,” according to screenshots included in court documents.
Rioters used their hands, rope and straps while trying to pull down the bike racks and break through the barrier, court documents say. About 1:40 p.m., Hamner and others pushed a large metal Trump sign into police officers lined up to defend the Capitol.
During its investigation, the FBI found a Telegram account with a profile photo that showed Hamner near the Washington Monument, wearing the same sweater. Authorities also identified Hamner through a review of a Colorado Springs restaurant he made on Facebook, according to court documents.
Hamner’s attorney, Jennifer Beck, did not immediately return a request for comment.
Since the Jan. 6 riot, more than 675 people in nearly all 50 states have been arrested on charges related to the breach of the Capitol.
Last week, Glenn Wes Lee Croy of Colorado Springs — who told a judge that he is “guilty of being an idiot” for entering the Capitol twice on Jan. 6 — was sentenced to 90 days of home detention.
Authorities continue to investigate.