Texas man who stormed Capitol allegedly threatened to shoot kids if they turned him in

A Texas man who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 was arrested after he allegedly threatened to shoot his children if they told authorities that he had gone to Washington D.C., according to federal court documents released Monday.

According to a complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., Guy Reffitt was charged with obstruction of justice and knowingly entering a restricted building without lawful authority.

In an affidavit, an agent with the FBI described Reffitt as an apparent militia member who traveled from suburban Dallas to Washington, D.C., with a Smith & Wesson pistol to help “protect his country.”

In an interview with the FBI, Reffitt’s son said that his father told his family that he’d gone to the Capitol while wearing a GoPro camera attached to a helmet.

Reffitt later allegedly threatened to “put a bullet through” his daughter’s cell phone if she recorded or mentioned his comments on social media, the affidavit says.

Reffitt’s wife told investigators that during an argument, he told his children that if one of them turned him in, “You’re a traitor and you know what happens to traitors…traitors get shot.”

His wife, who said Reffitt was a member of the far-right 3 Percenters militia group, added that she didn’t believe he would act on his words and is prone to “extreme” statements, the affidavit says.

The affidavit mentions videos from Reuters and Fox News that captured Reffitt at the Capitol wearing a black helmet, a tactical vest and appearing to flush his eyes out with water.

Reffitt, who was arrested on Jan. 16, told agents that he went to the Capitol on Jan. 6 but didn’t go inside.

Court records don’t say whether Reffitt has a lawyer. A message left at a phone number listed under his name was not immediately returned.

Reffitt is one of dozens of people who have been arrested or charged after a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol. Others include a New Jersey Army reservist with access to a cache of military supplies and a Pennsylvania woman who allegedly planned to steal a laptop from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office and sell it to Russian intelligence.

A law enforcement official said Sunday that the number of open cases related to the riot topped 300.

Five people died in the riot, including Capitol police officer Bryan Sicknick.

source: nbcnews.com