A Kirtland man was arrested on felony and misdemeanor charges for his alleged conduct during the U.S. Capitol Breach and riots on Jan. 6, 2021, including making physical contact with a police officer and destroying Associated Press media equipment.
Michael Picciuto, 25, was arrested Tuesday morning by the FBI in Kirtland and will make his initial appearance in the Northern District of Ohio, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Columbia.
Picciuto was identified on U.S. Capitol CCTV footage carrying an American flag while entering the building through the West Terrace Door at about 2:23 p.m. on Jan. 6, according to court documents. He then headed toward the Rotunda and entered a hallway on the second floor of the Senate side of the Capitol.
CCTV footage and open-source video shows Picciuto overrunning one police line near the Old Senate Chamber until his progress was halted by a line of police officers who tried to keep rioters from moving deeper into the building, the U.S. Attorney’s Office news release states.
Video from an officer’s body-worn camera shows Picciuto falling to the ground, standing up again, then standing at the front of a line of rioters who faced off with police and got into a scuffle with the line of officers. Police sprayed the rioters with repellent, which dispersed the crowd, the release states. Picciuto eventually exited the U.S. Capitol through the Rotunda Door at about 3:12 p.m.
After exiting the building, he remained in the restricted perimeter and made physical contact with at least one officer at about 4:39 p.m. as they tried to push rioters away from the Capitol, officials said.
Another rioter separated Picciuto from officers, and, according to the news release, Picciuto challenged an officer to a fight, yelling expletives at them and challenging the officer to “Take the f****** armor off.”
A few minutes later, Picciuto walked to the Northeast Lawn Media Pen, where rioters had chased away members of the media, officials said. At about 4:52 p.m., he can be seen breaking, stomping on and pouring water on media equipment belonging to the Associated Press.
Picciuto is charged with felony offenses of civil disorder and destruction or injury to buildings or property in special maritime and territorial jurisdiction, the U.S. Attorney’s Office states. He is also facing misdemeanor offenses, including: “entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds, violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, act of physical violence on Capitol grounds, and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building.”
To date, more than 1,265 individuals have been charged for crimes related to the Jan. 6 insurrection, including more than 50 from Ohio.
RELATED: What ever happened to those from NE Ohio arrested for the Jan. 6 insurrection?
Earlier this month, News 5’s Clay LePard checked in on the status of some of the Northeast Ohioans who have been charged – watch his report below:
