At least 17 police officers remain out of work with injuries from the Capitol attack By Michael Kaplan, Cassidy McDonald
June 3, 2021 / 2:09 PM / CBS News Deadly or dangerous weapons at Capitol riot
Nearly five months after the January 6 Capitol riot, at least 17 police officers remain out of work due to injuries sustained during the attack.
At least 10 Capitol Police officers were out with injuries as of Thursday, according to a source on Capitol Hill and at the police union, while as of Friday, seven members of the D.C. Metropolitan Police force remained in a less than full duty status due to the events of the riot, a police spokesperson said.
Handguns, crowbars, Tasers and tomahawk axes: Dozens of Capitol rioters wielded deadly or dangerous weapons, prosecutors say By Cassidy McDonald More than 400 charged in January 6 attack
While driving to Washington, D.C., on January 6, Cleveland Meredith sent a text that said, Hauling ass, 3.5 hours from target practice.
The day after the Capitol siege, prosecutors said, Meredith was arrested in D.C. with an assault-style rifle equipped with a telescopic sight, a Glock firearm with several high capacity magazines and over 2,500 rounds of ammunition including at least 320 armor-piercing rounds. He arrived too late to attend the rally, but the following day, authorities said he sent a text threatening to shoot House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in the head.
USA TODAY
WASHINGTON – More than 70 Capitol Police officers have left the force since the Jan. 6 riot, a union leader said Friday.
Gus Papathanasiou, chairman of the Capitol Police Labor Committee, said the resignations and retirements reflect low morale on the force after the deadly attack that injured 140 officers. Overall, the department is operating with 233 vacancies below its 2,070 authorized full-time positions, he said. What keeps me up at night is not the challenge of hiring and training more officers, but keeping the officers we have right now, Papathanasiou said.
Officer Brian Sicknick, who was sprayed with a chemical spray during the attack, died the next day from strokes, according the D.C. medical examiner. Capitol Police Officer Howie Liebengood and D.C. Officer Jeffrey Smith died by suicide in the days after the attack.
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