Capitol rioter threatened to shoot his own children if they reported him, say officials
‘If you turn me in, you’re a traitor and you know what happens to traitors...traitors get shot,' he told his children
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A Texas man, arrested for allegedly being part of the riotous mob that attacked the US Capitol building on 6 January, also threatened to shoot his children if they turned him in, according to the FBI.
Guy Reffitt, 48, a licensed driver from Wylie, Texas, is one of the latest additions to the list of people booked for the Capitol violence. He was arrested on Saturday by the FBI and is charged with unlawful entry, for being in the US Capitol, and obstruction of justice, for threatening his family to prevent them from talking to the police.
The affidavit by FBI also mentioned that Mr Reffitt has ties to the militia extremist group “Texas Freedom Force” and two firearms were recovered from his place at the time of his arrest.
The father of two allegedly told his family that he brought a gun to DC during the Capitol riots. The son, according to the affidavit, told the FBI that his father said he went to the Capitol to “protect the country”. He also said Mr Reffitt used “we” -- hinting that he had a team along with him -- “stormed the Capitol.”
Mr Reffitt’s children allegedly were “disturbed” by his “extreme” statements. When they expressed alarm, he allegedly told them that “if you turn me in, you’re a traitor and you know what happens to traitors...traitors get shot.”
Mr Reffitt’s alleged involvement in the attack was busted through a series of video recordings that appeared on Fox News and were posted by Reuters where he is seen wearing a blue jacket, washing his eyes with water, and wearing a helmet that had a GoPro-style camera attached to it.
The FBI says they matched seven photographs from the videos with his driving licence and found that he was also wearing a tactical vest inside his jacket.
He also allegedly told his family members that he had to “erase everything” because the FBI was “watching him.”
Mr Reffitt is one of two men arrested from Texas in connection to the Capitol attack. Another person, Matthew Carl Mazzocco, 37, was also arrested in San Antonio on Sunday under charges of unlawful entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments