Suspect charged in connection with assault on officer in Capitol riot recorded in viral video

A Connecticut man has been charged in connection with the assault of a police officer at the U.S. Capitol Building riot that was captured in a viral video.

Patrick Edward McCaughey III, of Connecticut, was charged Wednesday in a Washington, D.C., court in connection with assaulting or resisting a government officer, civil disorder, violent entry, and being in a restricted area of the Capitol building. 

Prosecutors allege that during the Jan. 6 breach that McCaeughey held Metropolitan Police Department Officer Daniel Hodges against a doorway in a narrow hallway near the western entrance of the building. 

"Officer Hodges appeared to be loudly crying out in pain. As Officer Hodges was being pinned to the door by McCaughey, a separate rioter was violently ripping off Officer Hodges’ gas mask exposing Officer Hodges’ bloodied mouth. McCaughey was using the riot shield to push against Officer Hodges, numerous other rioters behind and around McCaughey appeared to add to the weight against Officer Hodges," according to the filing in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

Hodges, who has been on the D.C. force for six years, told the DCist news website: "I had my arms pinned at that point, I wasn’t able to defend myself. You see someone in the video who rips my gas mask off, he’s also able to rip away my baton and beat me with it. At that point I was sucking in [tear] gas, so I was pretty disabled."

The officer can be heard in the video pleading, "Aaahhh, help!"

Hodges was not seriously injured in the incident.

Roughly 120 people have thus far been charged in connection to the Capitol breach. Prosecutors are continuing to search for suspects involved in assaults on police officers.