A pair of Virginia police officers who were photographed holding up their middle fingers inside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 were ordered by a federal judge to surrender their firearms on Tuesday.
Officer Jacob Fracker and Sgt. Thomas Robertson, officers of the Rocky Mountain Police Department, who prosecutors say were off-duty at the time of the siege, were barred from traveling outside of the Commonwealth, and the former law enforcement personnel were forbidden from owning guns following a decision in a virtual court appearance, according to Fox News. Fracker and Robertson were arrested after authorities received the suspected photograph of the pair taking an obscene selfie in front of the Capitol statue of John Stark, who fought in the French and Indian War, court documents revealed.
“CNN and the Left are just mad because we actually attacked the government who is the problem and not some random small business … The right IN ONE DAY took the f***** U.S. Capitol,” Robertson allegedly wrote on social media. “Keep poking us.”
Robertson added that he was “proud” of the alleged picture and “willing to put skin in the game.”
Similarly, prosecutors say Fracker was quoted as saying, “Lol to anyone who’s possibly concerned about the picture of me going around… Sorry I hate freedom? …Not like I did anything illegal…y’all do what you feel you need to…”
Both Robertson and Fracker admitted to Newsweek that they distributed the photo in question to their law enforcement colleagues, and Robertson denied wrongdoing because U.S. Capitol Police escorted him “in” to the building, prosecutors said.
The pair was charged with knowingly entering restricted grounds without proper authority and knowingly disrupting official government business.
On Jan. 6, thousands of pro-Trump supporters clashed with law enforcement and interrupted the certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. Five people, including one U.S. Capitol Police officer, during the riot.
Biden’s inauguration will take place amid a heavy presence of National Guard and officers from around the country on Wednesday due to numerous threats to interrupt the proceedings.
