Mechanicsville man charged with assaulting law enforcement during US Capitol riot

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - A Mechanicsville man has been charged for crimes in relation to the insurrection and riot at the United States Capitol on Jan. 6.

Geoffrey Sills, 30, faces federal charges of assaulting, resisting or impeding officers using a dangerous weapon; obstruction of an official proceeding; and civil disorder, among other charges.

He first appeared in court on June 21.

According to court documents, Sills was captured on video repeatedly assaulting multiple law enforcement officers.

Officials said the video footage showed Sills throwing multiple objects, including pole-like objects, at law enforcement as they retreated and the crowd moved forward.

“Surveillance footage then captured Sills in one of the first groups of rioters entering the tunnel around 2:41 p.m, while holding his phone up as if it were recording. The same activity is captured in video footage posted to the defendant’s Instagram account. As alleged, Sills continued to record while the crowd moved forward in the tunnel. While inside, he repeatedly struck multiple police officers with an extended baton while using a strobe light, apparently to try to disorient the officers. At various times, Sills was pushed toward the back of the crowd and repeatedly made his way forward toward the front of the police line,” a release said.

Around 3 p.m. that day, Sills turned around and left the tunnel. He then walked into the crowd and lifted the baton over his head.

The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

In the 150 days since Jan. 6, about 465 people have been arrested and charged in connection to the insurrection. Over 130 of those are charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.

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