I can’t wait to hear this guy’s lawyer argue he was simply preserving the evidence...
CBS News
Authorities on Friday arrested a man accused of assaulting D.C. Metropolitan police officer Mike Fanone, who was allegedly beaten and tased by a mob of rioters during the assault on the U.S. Capitol. Charging documents say Thomas Sibick ripped Fanone's badge and radio off his uniform during the assault on the west front steps, and subsequently buried the badge in his back yard.
Prosecutors allege Sibick, of Buffalo, New York, assaulted Fanone when he ripped off the badge and radio. The assault allegedly occurred while Fanone was being beaten and tased by a group of rioters who had pulled him out of the police line.
As a result of the violence, Officer Fanone lost consciousness and was subsequently hospitalized for his injuries, which likely included a concussion and injuries from the taser, court documents said. Sibick is not accused of beating or tasing Fanone.
Or that he just kept forgetting where he left it….
Huffington Post
A New York man arrested Friday for assaulting a D.C. Metropolitan Police Officer during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol confessed to the FBI that he buried the officer’s badge in his backyard after he returned home.
Thomas Sibick was arrested Friday in Buffalo, New York, according to court records. Sibick faces five charges, including obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder, assaulting or impeding officers, and taking a thing of value by force or intimidation.
Fanone’s body camera footage shows his police radio and badge being ripped from his vest by Sibick, according to the affidavit. After the riot, Sibick posted images of himself holding a U.S. Capitol Police shield and attempting to enter the building with the mob.
He should have drawn himself a map with a big X on it...
Investigators identified Sibick by comparing photos of him at the riot, sent in by tipsters, with bodycam footage of Sibick attacking Fanone. However, when agents interviewed Sibick, he claimed he was actually trying to pull the cop to safety and inadvertently grabbed his badge and radio. He said he threw the items in a nearby trash can, before changing his story to say he brought them back to his hotel and then home to Buffalo where he threw them in a dumpster. Days later, when cops said they would retrieve CCTV near the dumpster, Sibick became “distraught” and said he “wanted to do the right thing,” the complaint says. He admitted he’d buried the badge in his backyard and bought a metal detector to dig it back up. He returned it to the police in a muddy plastic bag.
The FBI continues to seek the public’s assistance in identifying individuals who participated in unlawful conduct during the Capitol Insurrection.
If you have information about a deplorable who’s “distraught” over their behavior and actions at the Capitol Riot on January 6th, call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or leave a tip online. You may also submit relevant photos and videos to the FBI here.