3 Florida men were arrested in connection with Capitol riot, including former underwear model accused of throwing a traffic cone at police officers

OSTN Staff

Alan Fischer at the Capitol riot
Alan Fischer is seen at the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021.

  • Three Florida men were arrested last week in connection with the Capitol riot.
  • Prosecutors say one man threw chairs at police officers, while another man deployed pepper spray.
  • The third man was carrying a sledgehammer throughout the day, according to charging documents.

Three Florida men were arrested last week in connection to the Capitol riot, including a former underwear model accused of throwing chairs and a traffic cone at police officers, as well as two men accused of carrying pepper spray.

The men — Alan “AJ” Fischer III, 28, of Tampa; Zachary Johnson, 33, of St. Petersburg, and Dion Rajewski, 61, of Largo — face a slate of charges related to the siege, including civil disorder, disorderly conduct, and engaging in physical violence. Fischer and Johnson are also charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers with a dangerous weapon.

All three men were arrested Thursday, though Johnson and Rajewski are charged together in a federal indictment separate from Fischer.

Prosecutors say Fischer joined members of the Proud Boys, a far-right extremist group, to march to the Capitol on January 6. Security footage from the scene shows Fischer pushing against law enforcement officers on the West side of the Capitol with a mob of other rioters, according to charging documents. Fischer was also caught on camera displaying a hand gesture associated with the Proud Boys, prosecutors said.

Later in the afternoon, investigators said security footage shots Fischer picked up an orange traffic cone and a chair and walked toward an area outside the Capitol where law enforcement officers were stationed. Moments later, he threw the traffic cone and the chair toward officers, prosecutors said.

Less than two minutes later, security footage shows Fischer walking back towards the area with a pole in his hand, which he then threw at the line of authorities. According to charging documents, Fischer returned once again, this time with another chair, which he also threw toward officers standing nearby.

Online sleuths previously identified Fischer, in part, by matching photos of him at the riot with a past picture of him modeling underwear on a catwalk. 

 

An attorney for Fischer told Insider that he would pleading not guilty to all charges.

Johnson and Rajewski are both accused of possessing pepper spray during the riot, which prosecutors said Johnson used against police officers. Investigators also said Johnson was armed with a sledgehammer throughout the day. A judge on Friday released both men on a $50,000 signature bond each, and ordered Johnson placed on home detention, according to The Tampa Bay Times. Both men will also be required to forfeit any firearms they own and cannot travel without permission, the outlet reported. 

Neither Rajewski, nor Johnson immediately responded to Insider’s request for comment. 

More than 750 people have been arrested in connection to the Capitol riot and more than 175 have pleaded guilty. 

Read the original article on Business Insider

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