A Brooklyn man is accused of attacking police officers during the January 6 riot
A Brooklyn man who, along with others, physically resisted law enforcement efforts to stop the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was charged Wednesday with several crimes for what prosecutors said was his role in the riot used to be. .
The man, Mitchell Bosch, was charged with crimes of civil disorder and assaulting, resisting or obstructing certain officers, as well as several misdemeanors including being illegally on Capitol grounds, prosecutors said. He was not charged with entering the building.
Mr. Bosch, 44, was released without bail after an initial appearance in Federal District Court in Brooklyn. Wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and gray sweatpants, he told Magistrate Judge Vera M. Scanlon that he had moved to Florida in September and planned to travel there on Sunday. He and the federal public defender who represented him at the appearance declined to speak to reporters. As in other attacks on the Capitol, he will be prosecuted in Washington.
According to the Justice Department, Mr. Bosch is among more than 1,300 people charged in connection with the Jan. 6 riot. He and other supporters of former President Donald J. Trump descended on the Capitol in an attempt to halt the certification of Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 presidential election. A federal investigation into the day's events continues.
Mr. Trump, who is seeking the Republican nomination in this year's presidential election, faces federal charges of conspiracy and other crimes stemming from the riot. He has pleaded not guilty.
An FBI agent, citing video footage from police officers' body-worn cameras, Capitol security cameras and other sources, described in a court filing how Mr. Bosch had joined other rioters in resisting an attempt by officers to to keep the crowd at bay that day. .
The footage, the officer said, shows Mr. Bosch “directly pushing against officers, assisting other rioters in pushing against officers, and encouraging other rioters to resist police.”
At one point, Mr. Bosch is seen moving into a line of officers, raising his hands toward an officer's riot shield and using his body to push on the shield as rioters around him do the same, the officer said. He stayed at the front of the crowd as it pushed the police line back several feet, the officer said.
A short time later, the officer said, body-worn camera footage shows Mr. Bosch moving to the back of the crowd and yelling at the rioters to “hold the line!” He then rushed back to the front of the crowd amid another confrontation between officers and rioters, the officer said. He was also involved in several other altercations, the officer said.
Mr. Bosch was previously arrested multiple times after participating protests against Covid-19 vaccine mandates in New York City, according to news reports. A registered Republican, he announced a run for a Brooklyn city council seat last year but was not eligible for the vote. He said on a financial disclosure form filed in connection with the federal case that he owned several rental properties and was a retired member of the armed forces.
Mr. Bosch is at least the fourth New York State man arrested this month on various felony charges stemming from the Jan. 6 riot.
The others are Christopher D. Finney, 32, of Hopewell Junction, who faces charges including obstruction of an official proceeding; Aaron D. Sauer, 43, of Syracuse, who is charged, among other things, with assaulting, resisting or obstructing certain officers; and James Weeks, 55, of Sodus, who is charged with the same crime. All three are charged with civil disorder.
Karen Zraick reporting contributed.