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Report: 2 Seattle police officers broke law during DC riots

Capitol riot
Posted at 7:21 PM, Jul 08, 2021
and last updated 2021-07-08 19:21:26-04

SEATTLE (AP) — A new report found that two Seattle police officers who were in Washington, D.C., during the Jan. 6 insurrection were illegally trespassing on Capitol grounds while rioters stormed the building, but they lied about their actions.

The Office of Police Accountability says photos from a video provided by the FBI clearly show the officers adjacent to the riots.

The two were among a group of six Seattle officers who traveled to D.C. to attend President Donald Trump's "Stop the Steal" rally.

Their trip became public after one of the officers posted a photo on Facebook of herself and a former officer at the demonstration.

The Associated Press reported that four of the officers admitted to being in D.C. on Jan. 6 but stated they did not participate in the riot.

The two officers said they went back to their hotel after hearing Trump speak and didn't hear about the riot until they watched the news.

But through investigation by the Office of Police Accountability, they found through text messages, pictures, and bank records that the two officers had violated department policies and Washington, D.C. laws.

The officers' names have not been released due to contract restrictions with the City of Seattle, the AP reported.

The officers also filed a lawsuit to keep their names from being released through public records requests. That lawsuit is currently being appealed to the Washington Supreme Court.