New Jersey man allegedly beat several police officers during Capitol violence, using ‘chemical irritant’
A man accused of assaulting officials during the Capitol riots, which included spraying at least one law enforcement officer with an offensive personality, was arrested Wednesday on several charges related to a crowd of supporters of Donald Trump in January.
Christopher Joseph Quaglin, from New Jersey, is accused of “repeatedly beating the authorities” according to video evidence described in an affidavit signed by an FBI agent. He is charged with disorderly conduct, obstruction of justice, and assault, resisting or obstructing certain officials or employees, according to the Department of Justice.
At about 1:36 pm, Quaglin is seen in camera poses with a “Make America Great Again” jacket, a black helmet and a gas mask on a police cell outside the US Capitol Building in Washington, DC, on Jan. 6.
“You are on the wrong side f ——,” Quaglin told telephone officials, according to the video. “You will bring a f —— rifle, I will bring a gun f ——. Don’t wait! ”
Seconds later, Quaglin begins to tremble and presses down the fence, says an affidavit. He was allegedly spotted about an hour later in a surveillance video surrounding the Lower West Terrace infiltrating several officers from both US Capitol Police and Metropolitan Police departments.
As officials in the Lower West Terrace began to throw off their shoes and back off, Quaglin joined others in passing shoes to the crowd and safeguarding officials, an affidavit said. Quaglin and other protesters then proceeded to the tunnel towards the Lower West Terrace, where officials used their bodies to prevent protesters from entering, the video shows.
It was in the tunnel where Quaglin sprayed the officer, according to a FBI-reviewed YouTube. The images showed Quaglin intended to “irritate the chemicals directly on the face of the MPD Officer, who did not have a face mask or gas mask to protect him,” the affidavit said.
It turned out that the spray used was the MK-9 OC protection equipment that is usually sold online, based on the information contained in the affidavit.
The protesters then started pushing their bodies towards the police guarding the doors, shouting “heave ho” as they raced together in a concerted effort to break down the doors of the Lower West Terrace. Quaglin was at the forefront of the group until officials finally managed to push the crowd back, according to an affidavit.
The FBI has reviewed Quaglin’s social media posts before and after the violence, particularly the Facebook account under “Chris Trump’s” vain “name, after receiving an anonymous tip. In one video, a man identified as Quaglin described what he was wearing “when you saw the footage,” according to the video.
“It was a wonderful time, I got lumps and bruises,” Quaglin said in one of the videos.
A witness who contacted the FBI after seeing a photo of Quaglin published by the agency seeking more information said they had known Quaglin for years. They confirmed that “Chris Trump” in Facebook Live videos was Quaglin and noted that Quaglin was “repeatedly blocked by provocative posts online.”
Media outlets and messages between November and January reviewed by the FBI-based Quaglin included numerous photos of weapons, “war-waiting” claims and complaints about the loss of Trump’s 2020 election, the affidavit said.
“That’s my gun room downstairs,” Quaglin said in a message, which included a picture of weapons and body armor. “I’ve been preparing for this since f – Bush is leaving office and Obama is coming in.”
Quaglin first appeared in state court on Wednesday. Court records were not immediately available to him and it is unclear whether he had kept a lawyer. Quaglin public records did not include a phone number or email address.