A still from a video released by the DOJ showing Christopher Warnagiris (circled in red), a Marine Corps officer stationed at Marine Corps Base Quantico, was arrested today in Virginia and charged with crimes related to violating the U.S. Capitol indicted January 6th.
Source: DOJ
A U.S. Navy officer on active duty was arrested Thursday and charged with violence against the police by a group of supporters of then-President Donald Trump during the January 6 invasion of the U.S. Capitol.
Major Christopher Warnagiris, 40, is accused of pushing past a line of police guarding the Capitol and pushing through a door in the Capitol’s east rotunda.
Warnagiris, a Woodbridge, Virginia resident stationed at Marine Corp Base Quantico, is being tried in federal court of aggression, resistance, or obstruction of certain officials, obstruction of law enforcement, obstruction of Congress, forcible entry into the Capitol Grounds and charged with entering or staying in a restricted building without legitimate authority.
He will appear in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on Thursday afternoon.
A still from a video released by the DOJ showing Christopher Warnagiris (circled in red), a Marine Corps officer stationed at Marine Corps Base Quantico, was arrested today in Virginia and charged with crimes related to violating the U.S. Capitol indicted January 6th.
Source: DOJ
Court documents say that Warnagiris, after forcibly entering the Capitol, positioned himself in the corner of the door and propped up the door with his body and pulled other rioters inside.
Video surveillance footage shows Warnagiris bumping into a police officer who was trying to close the door, according to a criminal complaint.
The Pentagon had no immediate comment on the arrest, which took place in Virginia on Thursday morning.
Warnagiris was identified by a member of the public on March 16 after the person complained about seeing three photos of a man entering the Capitol.
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This witness recognized Warnagiris after working with him for about six months in 2019, the complaint read.
A second witness, “who has worked with Warnagiris for about nine months and sees him in close proximity several times a week,” identified him in the same photos that the first witness had seen according to the indictment.
In 2017, according to a news article, Warnagiris acted as the chief of operations for a landing force of US Marines and Navy sailors who were stationed on the French Navy’s LHD Tonnere amphibious assault ship during a two-month deployment in the area of operations of the US 5th Fleet. Website.
U.S. Navy Maj. Christopher Warnagiris (R) interacts with a French naval officer during the embarkation of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit aboard the French amphibious assault ship LHD Tonnerre (L9014).
Photo: Sgt. Jessica Lucio | DVIDS
About 440 people were arrested at the Capitol for the January 6 riot that began after Trump urged crowds to march there at a rally outside the White House.
The invasion of the Capitol complex disrupted a joint congressional session held that day to confirm President Joe Biden’s victory at the electoral college.
Trump falsely claimed for weeks after the presidential election in November that he had won the White House race and that Biden’s victory was the result of widespread electoral fraud.
– CNBCs Amanda Macias contributed to this report.
