Current:Home > reviewsNew York business owner charged with attacking police with insecticide at the Capitol on Jan. 6 -Infinite Edge Learning
New York business owner charged with attacking police with insecticide at the Capitol on Jan. 6
View
Date:2025-04-13 00:39:46
A well-known Long Island business owner faces federal charges for allegedly spraying insecticide against police and targeting members of the news media during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Peter Moloney, 58, was arrested in Bayport, New York, on Wednesday and is charged in Washington, D.C., with eight counts, including civil disorder and assaulting and resisting police officers. He is scheduled to make an initial appearance in federal court in Central Islip, New York, on Wednesday afternoon.
"Moloney did not simply march to the Capitol with other protestors. He brought protective eyewear, a helmet, and a can of Black Flag, Wasp, Hornet & Yellow Jacket Killer2," an FBI special agent alleged in an affidavit. "This indicates that he went to the Capitol on January 6, 2021, prepared for violence."
The Justice Department said Moloney sprayed the chemicals "in the direction of police officers' faces and bodies" amid the mob.
The FBI affidavit also accused Moloney of striking a member of the news media. Citing video footage, the affidavit said Moloney "participate[d] in the initial attack on this member of the news media by grabbing onto his camera and pulling, causing him to stumble down the stairs."
The charging document said, "Moloney then continues punching and shoving the member of the news media away from the West Plaza, with other rioters eventually pushing the member of the news media over a wall. The distinctive elements of Moloney's attire that day (bicycle helmet, gaiter, eyewear, gloves) and the can of Black Flag, Wasp, Hornet & Yellow Jacket Killer2 are clearly visible in several of the screenshots."
The FBI agent's affidavit indicated the member of the news media was a photographer for the Associated Press.
The affidavit and charging document said a "colleague" of Moloney's was next to Moloney during the riot. But the charging document specified that Moloney is the only person "being charged at this time."
A CBS News review of Justice Department reports shows approximately 350 other Capitol riot defendants have also been charged with assaulting and resisting police. At least 11 other defendants have been accused of assaulting members of the news media or destroying media equipment during the Jan. 6 attack.
Moloney's listed defense attorney could not be immediately reached for comment.
veryGood! (79)
Related
- Appeals court scraps Nasdaq boardroom diversity rules in latest DEI setback
- Israeli Supreme Court hears first challenge to Netanyahu’s contentious judicial overhaul
- Wisconsin wolf hunters face tighter regulations under new permanent rules
- What are tree nuts? What they aren't might surprise you.
- Nearly half of US teens are online ‘constantly,’ Pew report finds
- Tip for misogynistic men: Stop thinking you're entitled to what you aren't
- Hurricane Lee's projected path to bring big surf, dangerous currents to US East Coast
- Prosecutors drop charges against Bijan Kian, a onetime business partner of Michael Flynn
- New Zealand official reverses visa refusal for US conservative influencer Candace Owens
- Falling lifeguard stand kills sleeping 28-year-old woman in Virginia
Ranking
- What to watch: O Jolie night
- California fast food workers to get $20 minimum wage under new deal between labor and the industry
- Stock market today: Asian shares trade mixed after Big Tech rally on Wall Street
- Biden administration coerced social media giants into possible free speech violations: court
- Where will Elmo go? HBO moves away from 'Sesame Street'
- AP PHOTOS: Humpback whales draw thousands of visitors to a small port on Colombia’s Pacific coast
- Disney and Charter Communications strike deal, ending blackout for Spectrum cable customers
- Horoscopes Today, September 10, 2023
Recommendation
FACT FOCUS: Inspector general’s Jan. 6 report misrepresented as proof of FBI setup
Heavy rain brings flash flooding in parts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island
NFL injuries: Will Travis Kelce return in Week 2? JK Dobbins, Jack Conklin out for season
Fukushima nuclear plant’s operator says the first round of wastewater release is complete
A White House order claims to end 'censorship.' What does that mean?
Best photos from New York Fashion Week: See all the celebs, spring/summer 2024 runway looks
‘Stop Cop City’ petition campaign in limbo as Atlanta officials refuse to process signatures
Ex-Bengals player Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones arrested at Cincinnati airport