Win McNamee/Getty ImagesBY: ROSA SANCHEZ, ABC NEWS
(NEW YORK) — At least two Seattle police officers have been placed on leave and are being investigated for their alleged involvement in the U.S. Capitol protests.
The Seattle Police Department released a statement Friday night saying that it was made aware Friday of the officers’ involvement in the Jan. 6 siege and is now taking the appropriate measures.
“The Department fully supports all lawful expressions of First Amendment freedom of speech, but the violent mob and events that unfolded at the U.S. Capitol were unlawful and resulted in the death of another police officer,” Chief Adrian Diaz said in the statement, referring to Brian Sicknick, who died of injuries he sustained during the attack.
Diaz said the case is now being reviewed by the Office of Police Accountability.
“The OPA will investigate whether any SPD policies were violated and if any potential illegal activities need to be referred for criminal investigation,” he said. “If any SPD officers were directly involved in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, I will immediately terminate them. While OPA investigates, these officers have been placed on administrative leave.”
This seems to be the first report of out-of-state law enforcement officials being involved in the violent pro-Trump protests.
The FBI is currently working to identify those involved and has already made various arrests.
In a statement late Friday, FBI Assistant Director in Charge Steven M. D’Antuono said in a press call, “Just because you’ve left the D.C. region, you can still expect a knock on the door if we find out that you were part of criminal activity inside the Capitol. Bottom line—the FBI is not sparing any resources in this investigation.”
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