Members of the mob that stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 are suing the federal government for tens of millions of dollars in damages, claiming that the “indiscriminate” use of force by police officers repelling the attack caused them physical and emotional injuries.
The lawsuit,
filed in Florida, takes aim at the conduct of Capitol Police and Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department, whose outnumbered officers fended off the mob for hours while members of Congress fled.
Among the lead plaintiffs in the class action lawsuit: A.J. Fischer, a member of the Proud Boys who was charged with assault before his case was erased by President
Donald Trump’s sweeping pardon. He sued along with Patrick and Marie Sullivan, who described being present in the crowd that day, pelted with pepper balls and afflicted by chemical spray. The Sullivans were not criminally charged for their conduct on Jan. 6.