Chicago Police Officer Used N-word and Shared Photos from Senator’s Office As He Bragged About His Role in Capitol Riots

Karol J. Chwiesiuk is the fourth person from Chicago and the 11th from Illinois to be charged in connection with the attack on the U.S. Capitol intended to overturn Trump's loss.

Selfie of CPD officer Karol J. Chwiesiuk as he participates in the US Capitol riot last January.US District Court for the District of Columbia

Federal prosecutors arrested a Chicago police officer Friday in connection with his activities in the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol. Karol J. Chwiesiuk was arrested at his home in Chicago, according to assistant U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Joseph Fitzpatrick

The FBI investigation put together text messages, testimony from a friend and toll road records for several months before being able to put together the 19-page complaint which was filed against Chwiesiuk in U.S. District Court in Washington.

Federal prosecutors charged officer Chwiesiuk with five federal misdemeanors, including unlawful entry for breaching the U.S. Capitol on January 6th, during which he texted a friend that he’d “knocked out a commie,” adding, "N****, Don't snitch," which was accompanied by a selfie he took while inside the office of Senator Jeff Merkley.

The FBI believes that the defendant took the selfie while he was inside a room of the Capitol, specifically room S140, which is the office of Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR). Sen. Merkley tweeted a video of the destruction to his office on January 6, 2021.” The federal document emphasized numerous cell phone images taken by Chwiesiuk during the violent riots.

The federal charges against the Chicago police officer include entering a restricted building, disrupting government business, and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds with intent to impede a congressional proceeding. If convicted each charge carries up to a year in prison. Included in the complaint are images of Chwiesiuk inside the building wearing a sweatshirt with a Chicago Police Department emblem fully visible on the front.

Chronology of Events

On Jan. 3, the Sunday before the attacks, Chwiesiuk sent text messages to at least one person, saying he was going to D.C. to "save the nation" and "f*** up some commies."

When the person pointed out that Donald Trump had lost the election and the courts had rejected the campaign's many legal challenges for lack of evidence or standing, Chwiesiuk responded: "Didn’t read. Busy planning how to f*** up commies."

This person later cooperated with the authorities, claiming to have known Chwiesiuk for 10 years.

Chwiesiuk arrived in D.C. on Jan. 5, staying at the Mayflower Hotel under a reservation made by his sister, according to cell phone geolocation data cited in the complaint. That day he received an email from "Stop the Steal" calling on "patriots" to travel to D.C. in order to "make history," according to a copy of the email included in the complaint. He then went to the Capitol and walked along the security barricades sending 44 picture messages in less than half an hour

On Jan. 6, the FBI stated that Chwiesiuk’s phone was geolocated inside the Capitol building for about 47 minutes, during which he sent and received 73 text messages, including the selfie of himself inside the office of Sen. Jeff Merkley, according to FBI documents. Chwiesiuk was captured on video inside the Capitol, court records indicate. When a friend told him that guns were drawn in the Chamber once a window was broken, Chwiesiuk replied: "I was there."

Others Respond to These Charges

Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown responded to the charges during a press conference on Friday, stating: "The fact that a Chicago police officer has been charged in that attack on American democracy makes my blood boil, makes me sick to my stomach. And yes, if these allegations are true, it breaks my heart. Participating in the siege on the Capitol in any way was a betrayal of everything we stand for, the oath (and) the law."

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot reacted to the charges Friday, stating that Chwiesiuk is a "total disgrace to the badge." She added that Chicago won't tolerate hate of any kind, particularly from its police officers.

"This isn't about a single police officer charged with a heinous crime, a heinous assault on our democracy," she said at a press conference. "We have to stand in one clear, united voice and say, 'Not in this time, not in this place, will we ever tolerate hate.'"

Chwiesiuk appeared Friday before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in Chicago and was ordered released on his own recognizance bond, Fitzpatrick said.

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