Waiting for 'Civil war 2': Three active-duty Marines charged in Jan. 6 riot
CTV
Micah Coomer, Joshua Abate and Dodge Dale Hellonen were arrested this week on misdemeanour charges after their fellow Marines helped investigators identify them in footage among the pro-Trump mob on Jan. 6, 2021, according to court papers.
A Marine who said he was waiting for "Civil war 2" and two other active-duty members of the military have been charged with participating in the riot at the U.S. Capitol, authorities said in newly filed court papers.
Micah Coomer, Joshua Abate and Dodge Dale Hellonen were arrested this week on misdemeanour charges after their fellow Marines helped investigators identify them in footage among the pro-Trump mob on Jan. 6, 2021, according to court papers.
Dozens of people charged in the riot have military backgrounds, but these three are among only a handful on active duty. A Marine Corps officer seen on camera scuffling with police and helping other members of the mob force their way into the Capitol was charged in 2021.
No defence lawyers for the men were listed in the court docket, so it was not immediately clear whether they have attorneys to comment on their behalf.
Their service records show they are all active-duty Marines. Maj. Kevin Stephensen, a spokesman for the Marine Corps, said it is aware of the allegations and "is fully cooperating with appropriate authorities in support of the investigation."
Coomer, of Indiana, is stationed in Southern California's Camp Pendleton; Abate, of Virginia, is at Fort Meade in Maryland; and Hellonen, of Michigan, is stationed at North Carolina's Camp Lejeune, according to the Marines.
The men spent about 52 minutes inside the Capitol, authorities say. At one point while in the rotunda, they put a red "Make American Great Again" hat on a statue to take pictures with it, according to court papers. Hellonen was carrying a "Don't Tread on Me" flag, authorities said.
