Two off-duty Seattle police officers who allegedly trespassed onto restricted grounds and stood next to the U.S. Capitol as rioters were inside the building on Jan. 6 have been fired, the police department’s interim chief said Friday.
Chief Adrian Diaz said there was “clear evidence” that placed the officers, identified as married couple Alexander Everett and Caitlin Everett, near the Capitol building as Congress was meeting in a joint session to certify the Electoral College victory for President Biden.
He said their presence at the riot was a “stain on our department, and on the men and women who work every day to protect our community, serve those in need, and do so with compassion and dignity.”
The officers committed three violations, including that officers must adhere to laws, city policy and department policy, according to disciplinary reports for each.
“It is based on those values that I reached my decision. The two officers were found to have crossed the outdoor barriers established by the Capitol Police and were directly next to the Capitol Building,” Diaz said in a statement posted to the Seattle police news blotter. “Clear evidence places them directly next to the Capitol Building. It is beyond absurd to suggest that they did not know they were in an area where they should not be, amidst what was already a violent, criminal riot.”
