WASHINGTON – Two Florida men were arrested for their actions on the Jan. 6. breach of the U.S. Capitol, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
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Jarod Hawks, 43, of Port Orange, Florida, and John Padgett, 40, of Edgewater, Florida, are charged with multiple felony offenses of assault on a federal officer, civil disorder, and assault on a federal officer with a deadly or dangerous weapon.
According to court documents, CCTV footage, open-source videos, photographs, and information provided by the public established the movements of two individuals on Jan. 6, 2021, later identified as defendants Hawks and Padgett.
According to a media release, after participating in the initial breach of the Peace Circle, during which law enforcement officers were assaulted and injured, Hawks and Padgett made their way to the police line on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol Building. There, they allegedly used a large metal object to attack the police line. Hawks and Padgett then remained on the West Front and allegedly continued to attack police.
According to officers, Hawks and Padgett also allegedly used a large object as both a shield and battering ram against another police line on the West Front. Video footage shows Hawks and Padgett allegedly hoisting a large object, turning it towards officers, and advancing into the police line using the object to resist police and break the police line.
In addition to the felonies, men are charged with five misdemeanor offenses, including entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds; engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds; obstructing, or impeding passage, through or within, the grounds or any of the Capitol buildings; and engaging in an act of physical violence in the grounds or any of the Capitol buildings.
In the 46 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,561 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol.