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U.S. Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman testified in court for the first time Monday on the removal of the rebels by the fleeing senators during the attack on January 6, 2021, describing how he ran up the stairs after a tense confrontation that began with a member of the mob carrying a Confederate battle flag.
Goodman, whose actions in the building that day were filmed in a video that went viral, said the man hit him with the back of the flag and shouted, “I’m not leaving. Where are the members? Where do you count the votes? “
The man, 52-year-old Kevin Sifrid, quickly joined a crowd chasing Goodman up the stairs and away from the corridor leading to the Senate entrance used by Republicans, Vice President Mike Pence’s Republicans, officials and ceremonial offices.
Goodman’s testimony came during the federal trial in Washington against Sifrid and his son Hunter Sifrid, 22, of Laurel, Del., Who are accused of being among the first 15 people to break into the building. Each pleaded not guilty, although during the trial, the two men ‘s lawyers said they would not deny their guilt for a crime or picketing and parading in limited Capitol areas. Instead, they tried to argue that they did not intend to obstruct the work of Congress – which is the basis for a more serious charge of a crime against them.
At times, Goodman vividly described his attempts to keep police lines outside the Capitol without any protective equipment as the rebels hurled objects at him. He said he repulsed the rebels with his truncheon and vomited after being hit with pepper spray and tear gas fired by DC police, which hit police back.
When DC police arrived in riot gear, Goodman testified that he had gone to an auxiliary station set up by the Attendance Service. A doctor in the crypt of the building below the Rotunda. But he said he got it soon to race two stories up, while police radio was “confused” with reports of battles around the building and a premature – at this point – alarm that the Rotunda had been breached.
“I could see officers in riot gear with their backs pressed against the doors, and just a crowd of people pressing against them,” Goodman said of the view in front of the Rotunda’s doors. From the western front of the Capitol, the officer said: “It looked like a medieval clash between two opposing forces … between police and protesters.
Goodman’s trial before U.S. District Attorney Trevor N. McFadden came just four days after U.S. Capitol Police colleague Caroline Edwards described similar torturous scenes as she testified before the House Election Commission investigating the Jan. 6 events.
In prime-time television appearances, Edwards called the building a “war zone” that day. She described “slipping on people’s blood” and being blinded by spraying bears while standing. to an officer, Brian D. Siknik, who later suffered a stroke and died.
Goodman spoke publicly for the first time about the January attack, saying during a podcast hosted by a colleague who was in the Capitol during the siege that he relied on his military training and experience in the 101st Army Airborne Division – when “Nothing was planned, always.”
“You never know. It could easily have been a bloodbath, so a tribute to everyone out there who showed restraint on the deadly force because it could be baaad. Really, very bad,” Goodman said in an interview published on 24 January in the podcast “3 Brothers No Sense”, which was co-hosted by Byron “Buff” Evans, a friend and colleague of Goodman’s.
The Seefried family surrendered to law enforcement on January 12, 2021. Kevin Seefried admitted to carrying a large Confederate flag to the Capitol, saying he usually kept it outside his home, according to an FBI complaint.
In a briefing, Assistant Attorney General Brittany L. Reed said police witnesses would say Seafried was part of the first group of rebels to enter “with the intention of reaching members of Congress.” The group included two prominent figures who led the indictment and have since pleaded guilty: Douglas Jenson, who wore a black T-shirt decorated with an eagle and the logo of the extremist group QAnon, and “QAnon Shaman” Jacob Chansley, who wore a spear and wore face paint and a leather hat with horns.
Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman confronted a mob that violated the U.S. Capitol on January 6. (Video: Igor Bobich / HuffPost via Storyful)
Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman speaks publicly for the first time since the January 6 uprising
– Where do they gather? members of the crowd shouted through a megaphone as they chased Goodman up a marble staircase, according to Goodman, and video evidence introduced by prosecutors. Goodman led the group to the Ohio Clock Corridor, a mosaic area outside leading to the Senate Hall, where he confirmed Monday that he knew officers were stationed. to provide a backup.
Elizabeth Mullin, one of Kevin Siffried’s two aides to federal advocates, said that although her client was in a restricted area, he “lacked the necessary intent” to obstruct Congress.
“Although it was a mistake, a mistake that Kevin Sifrid has regretted ever since, he did not enter because Congress was gathering or counting the votes. He did not come in to prevent anyone from verifying the election, “Mullin said.
Hunter’s lawyer, Sifrid Edson Bostic, said his client “did not speak harshly, did not threaten anyone” and was not considered a “concerned person” by police.
Meet Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman in a Viral Video Facing a Capitol Crowd
Hunter acted “stupidly, perhaps – in terms of the excitement of a young man – but not corrupt with any intention of blocking the certification of the vote,” Bostic said. . ”
Hunter Seefried, who usually did not follow politics, “was not even sure that the certification of votes in the election [was] is being held in the Capitol building that day, “Bostic said.
Under cross-examination by Assistant Federal Defender Eugene Ohm, Goodman admitted that he had not told the FBI or had previously said that he had heard Kevin Sifrid ask where the deputies were or where the vote count was taking place. Goodman said in a statement on the impact on the victim provided for use by prosecutors in cases on January 6 that after his solitary confrontation with Seefried, he “had no idea what their intention was, and I retired to the top of the stairs.”
But Goodman explained in response to questions from the prosecutor that he did not mean why the rebels entered the building, but only what their intention was “in relation to me, specifically.” Goodman admitted during questioning by the judge that Seefried may not have asked where the vote count was taking place.
He testified that Kevin Siffrid was aggressive towards him, hit him with a flagpole and that he was concerned for his safety, in part because he recognized the teardrop tattoo under Seefried’s eye as popular with former prisoners.
Goodman said a member of the Seefrieds group said, “You’re going to have to shoot me to stop me from going in,” and another said the rebels were “ready for war” and asked if Goodman was. Goodman said he had not heard from any of Sifrids join several members of the group who disagreed with the last man and tried to “talk” to him.
Both Seefried ignored his orders to leave the building, Goodman said. In particular, Hunter Sifrid Goodman said of Hunter: “I told him to leave. “You have to get out of the building.” And he says no. … All the while, he had only that smiling expression on his face, like a “we will.”
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