WASHINGTON, District of Columbia ( MyFloridaNews ) — A Florida man has been arrested and charged with multiple offenses, including assaulting law enforcement with a weapon, in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. The incident disrupted a joint session of Congress convened to certify the 2020 presidential election results.
Joel Linn O’Donnell, a 44-year-old from Clearwater, Florida, faces seven charges, including assaulting officers with a deadly weapon, obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder, and engaging in physical violence in a restricted area, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Additionally, O’Donnell is charged with two misdemeanors related to disorderly conduct and physical violence on Capitol grounds.
The FBI arrested O’Donnell on December 19 in Clearwater, and he made his initial court appearance in the Middle District of Florida. Court documents reveal that O’Donnell attended a rally near the Ellipse in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021, before joining a crowd marching to the Capitol. He allegedly positioned himself at the Lower West Plaza and later moved to the Upper West Terrace, where he joined rioters on temporary risers as objects were thrown at police.