Crystal Lake Man Pleads Guilty to Assaulting an Officer During the 2021 Capitol Insurrection

Dan Lambert | November 20, 2024, 5:09 pm

Rioters storm the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (CNN)

A north suburban man pleaded guilty Wednesday to assaulting a law enforcement officer during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Robert Giacchetti, 59, of Crystal Lake, pleaded guilty to the federal charge of assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers.

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On Jan. 6, 2021, Giacchetti attended a rally at the Ellipse and then made his way onto U.S. Capitol grounds, according to prosecutors. While on a restricted walkway, he used a bullhorn to yell profanities and insults at law enforcement officers, according to court documents.

He then confronted officers who were maintaining a police line and pushed with his elbow and hip against a riot shield, driving an officer backward.

He entered the Capitol building at 2:34 p.m. and continued to chant through a bullhorn. He moved through the Rotunda and Gallery Stairs, chanting “Treason!” and “1776,” according to prosecutors.

He later joined a group of rioters confronting officers trying to block access to the Senate chamber before exiting the building at 2:55 p.m.

Once outside, Giacchetti confronted journalists and destroyed equipment belonging to the Associated Press, prosecutors said. He knocked over lights, a dolly and a camera on a tripod, which struck a journalist.

In the years since the insurrection that followed false claims from President Donald Trump that the 2020 election was stolen, more than 1,561 people have been charged, with 590 of those facing felony charges of assaulting or impeding law enforcement.