December 23, 2024
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2 Illinois brothers face charges in Jan. 6 Capitol riot

By Don Babwin

FILE - In this Jan. 6, 2021, file photo rioters break into the Capitol in Washington. Far-right media personality Tim Gionet, who calls himself "Baked Alaska," will not face house arrest after being charged in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol after court officials raised concerns about his recent encounters with police officers in Arizona. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File) (John Minchillo/AP)

CHICAGO (AP) — — Two brothers from Illinois have been arrested on felony and misdemeanor charges for their alleged roles in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the United States Capitol, with both accused of being part of mobs that overwhelmed police officers who were desperately trying to keep them from storming the building, the FBI announced on Tuesday.

In a news release, the FBI said Daniel Leyden, 55, of Chicago and Joseph Leyden, 56, of nearby La Grange, were arrested in Illinois on Tuesday. In a complaint, Daniel Leyden was charged with a felony offense of assaulting, resisting or impeding law enforcement with a dangerous weapon. He and his brother, Joseph, are also charged with the felony offense of interfering with a law enforcement officer during a civil disorder as well as four related misdemeanor offenses.

It was not immediately known if Daniel Leyden or Joseph Leyden had an attorney to speak on their behalf.

According to the release, Daniel Leyden was part of a crowd that confronted police outside the Capitol, where they “lifted and pushed” a metal barricade onto a U.S. Capitol Police officer, pinning the officer underneath. At the same time, the mob assaulted officers, one of whom “was knocked unconscious and suffered a concussion.”

According to the release, Daniel Leyden’s actions contributed to that officer’s injuries as well as the injuries of others.

Joseph Leyden was charged in connection with the actions of another group of rioters. As that group began to pull metal barriers into the crowd, Leyden, the FBI said in the release, allegedly “advanced and rushed towards an officer with the Metropolitan Police Department” before he “lunged at and pushed the officer.”

The two are among more than 860 people from all over the country charged with crimes related to the breach of the Capitol building on that January 2021 day by supporters of then-President Donald Trump who were storming the building to interrupt the certification of President Joe Biden’s election win over Trump.

They are the latest of more than 30 Illinois residents to be charged.

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