Former police officer Michael Fanone, who defended the Capitol during the Jan. 6 riots in 2021, said he “fully expects” to “experience violence” at the hands of some of the offenders released by President Donald Trump’s pardons.
In one of his first acts on day one of his return to office, Trump fulfilled on his campaign promises to issue a sweeping pardon of 1,500 individuals connected to the riots.
During the riot at the Capitol, law enforcement officers faced widespread violence from rioters attempting to disrupt the certification of the 2020 presidential election. Officers were physically assaulted, sprayed with chemical irritants, and hit with blunt objects such as flagpoles, fire extinguishers, and batons. Some were crushed in doorways, dragged down stairs, and subjected to sustained beatings.
One of the most notable casualties was Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who died the day after the riot following exposure to chemical spray. Several officers sustained serious injuries, including concussions, broken bones, and psychological trauma, with over 140 law enforcement personnel from both the Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department reporting injuries. In the aftermath, several officers involved in defending the Capitol died by suicide.
