A Virginia man has been arrested for assaulting law enforcement and other charges related to his alleged conduct during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol.
Charles Orlando Pratt IV, 59, of Powhatan, was arrested by the FBI on Dec. 4. He made his initial appearance in the Eastern District of Virginia.
Pratt is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with felony offenses of assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers and obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder.
In addition to the felonies, Pratt is charged with several misdemeanor offenses, including entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, impeding passage through the Capitol grounds or buildings and acts of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings.
The case against Pratt for actions on Jan. 6, 2021
According to court documents, on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C., Pratt was involved in a confrontation during the breach of the Lower West Terrace of the U.S. Capitol.
At 1:11 p.m., it is alleged that Pratt pushed through a crowd of rioters to engage in a tense standoff and verbal altercation with law enforcement alongside other rioters including Landon Kenneth Copeland and Christopher Joseph Quaglin.
Video footage depicts the verbal altercation escalating when Copeland shoved Quaglin into a police officer, leading to a physical struggle. Quaglin then grabbed the officer and pushed them backward, causing the officer to fall.
It is alleged that Pratt then joined the melee, using his momentum to grab the shoulder of an unidentified U.S. Capitol Police officer with his left hand. Pratt then braced his right arm against another rioter, effectively blocking other police from intervening in the ongoing struggle.
It is alleged that Pratt and other rioters then struggled with police over what appeared to be a police baton and shoved a police officer backward.
Pratt and Copeland then pushed a police officer again before other officers managed to push Pratt away from the police line.
Prosecuting individuals for actions on Jan. 6
This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Richmond and Washington field offices which identified Pratt as BOLO (Be on the Lookout) #346 on its seeking information images.
In the 46 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,561 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 590 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.
Fueled by Donald Trump in a political speech, Pratt and others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.
Anyone with tips may call (800) CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.
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Crystal Graham
