2 Florida men arrested for assaulting law enforcement during Jan. 6 riots

Two Florida men have been arrested for their alleged conduct during the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol, both charged with assaulting law enforcement while rioting.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Jarod Hawks, 43, of Port Orange, and John Padgett, 40, of Edgewater, were arrested on Monday.

Both men face accusations of using deadly or dangerous weapons on law enforcement officers.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, In addition to the charges above, Hawks and Padgett also face entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds; obstructing, or impeding passage, through or within, the grounds or any of the Capitol buildings; and engaging in an act of physical violence in the grounds or any of the Capitol buildings.

The Department of Justice states that the actions of Hawks and Padgett were to disrupt a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.

Court documents revealed CCTV footage, open-source videos, photographs, and information provided by the public identified Hawks and Padgett’s participation during the Jan. 6 riots.

Further review of the documentation showed both men breaching into the Peace Circle, during which law enforcement officers were assaulted and injured.

According to the DOJ, Hawks and Padgett continued to the West Front of the U.S. Capitol Building, where they allegedly used a large metal object to attack the police line.

The two men allegedly repeatedly kicked the barricade, causing officers to lose control, and another rioter shoved the barricade aside, creating a breach in the police line.

Documented footage showed the two men moving the barricade so other rioters could approach the Capitol building.

Christopher Worrell, an East Naples man, was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison for his participation in the riot in Jan. 2024.

Worrell, who absconded from police before his initial sentencing, faced as much as 14 years behind bars.

According to the DOJ, in the 46 months since the Jan. 6 riots, more than 1,561 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol.

Around 590 individuals were charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.

The FBI’s Jacksonville and Washington Field Offices are investigating this case.