Photos of suspect #215 AFO posted on the FBI website bore fruit… A military contractor and former U.S. Army Special Forces soldier was arrested yesterday for assaulting DC police officers with a deadly weapon during January’s Capitol Riot...
In a criminal complaint unsealed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., federal authorities accused Virginia resident Jeffrey McKellop of using a metal flagpole to beat four officers with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD Officers 1-4), including one police captain who suffered a laceration near his left eye.
McKellop, who wore a tactical helmet and gas mask that completely covered his face at times during the insurrection, was initially identified based on his bullet-proof vest, which had the Georgian flag patch located over the center of the chest and a Special Forces patch on the back. Authorities also noted that he had a “military-type carrier bag used to hold a gas and/or a chemical protective mask to protect the wearer from harmful chemical irritants.”
Efforts to crowdsource McKellop’s identity through social media platforms resulted in the hashtag “#GeorgesCross” being shared hundreds of times with his picture.
After authorities released pictures of McKellop without the helmet and gas mask in February, two veterans (Witnesses 1 and 2) contacted the FBI to identify him, saying they served with him overseas.
McKellop worked overseas for the US Government as recently as 2018...
The Daily Beast
Prosecutors say they were first alerted to McKellop’s identity after multiple tipsters identified him on an FBI website asking for public tips. One of those witnesses, who knew McKellop for at least six years, “described him as a retired U.S. Army Special Forces soldier and a military contractor who, at times, works overseas and resides in Fishersville, Virginia, which is located near Staunton, Virginia.”
Another person said he’d served with McKellop from 2001 to 2016 and noted that he “was a military contractor” who had been overseas as recently as 2018. The same witness also identified the contents of a “kit” that McKellop can be seen wearing in the photos and videos, which included a helmet, gas mask, and ballistic vest.
The complaint says the “kit” contained the same gear the first witness saw McKellop “wearing in an overseas combat zone in 2018.” In one video, a patch that is a symbol of the U.S. Army Special Forces can be seen on McKellop’s backpack.
He appears to have had absolutely no reservations about scrapping with police officers defending his employer...
WHSV
At one point, McKellop allegedly breached the line of officers near the bottom of the scaffolding at the U.S. Capitol. Investigators said McKellop pushed officers out of his way and eventually became involved in a confrontation with an officer.
In the confrontation, the FBI investigator said the officer positioned himself with riot-control spray aimed toward McKellop and the crowd, when McKellop, who was wearing a gas mask, picked up a flag pole from the ground and shoved it into the face of the officer, then throwing the flagpole, in a fashion similar to throwing a spear.
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In some pictures, McKellop is carrying a flagpole that has at least two different flags attached: a Blue Line National Flag and a 13-star Betsy Ross flag with the words ‘Trump. Keep America Great’ printed on it.
In addition, footage from the U.S. Capitol security cameras appears to show the Fishersville man outside of the Capitol within the crowd.
He’s the first Special Forces member charged for participating in the insurrection...
Politico
A man identified by witnesses as a longtime Army Special Forces soldier and current military contractor has been charged with assaulting four police officers at the Capitol on Jan. 6, including by spearing one in the face with a flagpole.
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Though dozens of former service members and police officers have been charged with crimes connected to the Capitol siege, McKellop appears to be the first Special Forces member accused of crimes connected to the breach. And his charges are among the gravest lodged among the 300-plus cases filed by federal prosecutors.
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Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin recently told CBS’ “60 Minutes” that the growing number of Capitol cases featuring former members of the military has underscored the need to root out extremism among the ranks.
“I think the numbers will probably be a bit larger than we would believe,” he said. “But I can tell you that a small number of people can have an outsized effect.”
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 dangerous former servicemen who dishonored themselves by wounding law enforcement officers at the Capitol Insurrection 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.