Thomas Joseph Kelly Jr. faces charges in connection with his alleged role in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (Photos from court documents)
A Maryland man has been arrested for allegedly using a metal-edged Donald Trump sign as a battering ram against police guarding the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 riots, cracking an officer's helmet and briefly knocking him unconscious.
Thomas Joseph Kelly Jr., 36, faces charges of civil disorder, assaulting officers using a deadly or dangerous weapon, trespassing, disorderly conduct, and engaging in physical violence in a restricted building, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced in a news release.
He was at the Capitol for three hours that day when hundreds of Trump supporters went to Washington, D.C., to obstruct the certification of the Electoral College vote during the former president's "Stop the Steal" rally, according to a statement of facts outlining the allegations.
Kelly ignored "AREA CLOSED" signs, overran police lines, flipped off officers and shouted at cops, "P—- a– b——!" court documents alleged.
At one point, someone shooting a video of the scene panned over to Kelly, who screamed, "F—–' cops!"
The person filming asked, "Hey man, what do you think about all this? What do you think about all this? What's goin' on? What're you seein'?"
When another rioter said, "We need to rush 'em!" Kelly allegedly replied, "Yeah, he's exactly right. That's what we need to do."
"I mean, we gotta," he allegedly continued. "They [the police] initially were back there! We jumped the fence, and they ran back! They're scared! They're scared!"
In his snow goggles, the towering 6-foot-4-inch Kelly allegedly used the metal-edged Trump sign as a battering ram and appeared to punch at officers from behind the sign's fabric. Authorities said he was part of "the vanguard" of rioters who overwhelmed and broke through a police line on the Lower West Plaza before 2:30 p.m.
When officers fell back, Kelly, holding the pole — its metal screw eyes protruding — joined other rioters, chasing police up a staircase leading to the temporary inaugural stage, court documents said.
At 4:33 p.m., Kelly allegedly jabbed and thrust the pole into a line of police guarding a tunnel. He grazed an officer with it before the pole smashed into another officer's head, court documents said. The pole struck the officer in the face, cracked the shell of his riot helmet and briefly knocked him unconscious, court documents said.
After the attack, Kelly allegedly handed the pole to another rioter, who broke it while using it to attack cops and then used a broken piece to continue his onslaught, court documents said.
The officer who passed out later told FBI agents that after he regained consciousness, he struggled to remain conscious, experiencing vision loss and degraded consciousness throughout the day, court documents said.
Kelly was arrested on Wednesday. Authorities credited "citizen sleuths" with helping identify him after he was put on the FBI's "be on the lookout" list. The public dubbed him #ZIONOR, referring to the ZIONOR-brand snow goggles he wore, court documents said.
In the 40 months since the attack, more than 1,424 people have been charged for crimes related to the breach, authorities said.
