Jan 6 rioter who used a riot shield to crush cop against doorway is convicted of 7 felonies

A man seen crushing a Metropolitan Police Officer against a doorway during the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol has been convicted of the nine charges against him, seven of which were felonies, CBS News reports.

Patrick McCaughey III, 25, of Ridgefield, Connecticut, and two others were convicted on multiple charges in a bench trial by U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden. Tristan Chandler Stevens, 26, of Pensacola, Florida, and David Mehaffie, 63, of Kettering, Ohio, were each found guilty of five felony charges and two felony charges.

The Department of Justice said the group “attempted to break into the building by directing other rioters, participating in heave-hos against the police line, using riot shields stolen from the Capitol Police, and assaulting three specific officers.”

“Mehaffie hung from an archway and shouted direction from above, and McCaughey and Stevens were key players in the melee below. McCaughey grabbed a riot shield and used it as a weapon. Even after officers finally cleared the tunnel area, the three defendants illegally remained on Capitol grounds,” the DOJ stated.

From CBS News:

All three men were convicted of assault charges, however, McFadden only agreed to add a dangerous weapon enhancement, which could increase the eventual prison sentence, to McCaughey’s convictions, according to CBS affiliate WUSA-TV. McFadden ruled that the riot shields the three men stole were not inherently dangerous weapons, but that it become one the way McCaughey used it, WUSA-TV reports.

McCaughey was captured on video using a riot shield to pin MPD officer Daniel Hodges in a doorway during the riot. Hodges could be seen screaming out in pain as he was being crushed in the doorway as rioters attempted to enter the Capitol building. In an interview with CBS News, Hodges said that in videos, you can see McCaughey grabbing his gas mask, beating his head against the door, and ripping it away.

Read the full report over at CBS News

Sky Palma

Before launching DeadState back in 2012, Sky Palma has been blogging about politics, social issues and religion for over a decade. He lives in Los Angeles and also enjoys Brazilian jiu jitsu, chess, music and art.