New Jersey man arrested for allegedly assaulting police during Capitol riot

An affidavit identifies the suspect as Christopher Joseph Quaglin.

Published: April 8, 2021 10:31am

Updated: April 8, 2021 5:01pm

A New Jersey man has been arrested in connection with the Capitol riot on Jan. 6 for allegedly assaulting several police officers and spraying them with a chemical irritant.

Christopher Joseph Quaglin was arrested Tuesday on charges of assaulting, resisting or impeding officers, civil disorder and obstruction of an official proceeding, according to an affidavit.

Video shows Quaglin at the riot wearing a red, white and blue shirt that read "Make America Great Again," a black helmet and a gas mask, the affidavit states.

Hundreds of people have already been arrests in connection with the riot, now over three months old.

The affidavit states Quaglin "can be seen (on video) repeatedly assaulting multiple law enforcement officers guarding the Capitol."

Officials also said that he yelled at a Metropolitan Police Department officer, "You don’t want this fight. You do not want this f&*#$^$ fight."

Surveillance video also shows Quaglin shoving several officers and holding one officer by the neck, authorities say.

Quaglin is also seen attacking officers with a stolen riot shield and spraying them with a chemical irritant, according to the affidavit.

The affidavit states law enforcement was tipped by an anonymous source about a Facebook account under the name "Chris Trump" and that Quaglin was identified in videos posted to the account. 

One of the videos filmed after Quaglin returned to his hotel room after the riot shows him saying, "When you guys see the footage, I was the guy in the red, white and blue hoodie and the black helmet. ... I’m absolutely on a loop on Fox News. ... I got punched pretty good. ... It was a great time, I got bumps and bruises."

In another video, the affidavit states, Quaglin was shirtless "as he narrates while cooking a steak in his shower." 

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