Man who used Trump flag to assault officers on Jan. 6 arrested, DOJ says

(WASHINGTON) — An Indiana man who allegedly used a flagpole with “TRUMP 2020” and Confederate banners to attack officers on Jan. 6 was arrested Thursday.

Troy Koen was charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers, destruction of government property, and obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder, among other crimes during the Capitol attack. The Justice Department said some 140 police officers were assaulted at the Capitol on Jan. 6.

Koen is accused of leading a group of rioters as they battered police at an entrance to the west side of the Capitol building. Images from court documents show Koen grabbing a metal barricade before breaching the police line.

As officers retreated behind double glass doors in the lower West Terrace tunnel, the mob followed and Koen made his way to the front with his flagpole, according to court documents.

Koen then used his flagpole to smash through the glass doors and jab at the officers guarding the entrance, according to an FBI affidavit. Surveillance video presented to the court shows the flagpole jammed through the glass before rioters breach the doors.

Koen spent less than 10 minutes in the tunnel, according to court documents. He was identified in part through a picture on his own social media account, authorities said.

Some of the most extreme violence of the Capitol attack occurred at the tunnel entrance. Several rioters who were in the tunnel have been convicted.

Koen’s is the latest of more than 1,200 arrests authorities have made in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol riots. More than 700 federal defendants have been sentenced so far, according to the Justice Department.

Online sleuths and concerned citizens have scoured social media posts, flagging tips to the FBI and other investigators.

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