Brothers who chased Capitol officer Goodman during attack are charged
Jerod and Joshua Hughes have been charged with aiding and abetting, destruction of property and interfering with law enforcement
The two brothers who chased Capitol Police officer Eugene Goodman during the insurrection at the Capitol have been charged with nine crimes including aiding and abetting, destruction of property, and interfering with law enforcement.
Jerod and Joshua Hughes were named in a federal complaint on Thursday as the two Montana brothers who accosted Goodman during the siege of the Capitol on Jan. 6, Newsweek reported. According to the FBI, they were seen on surveillance footage chasing Goodman, who steered them away from the Senate chamber.
Read More: Officer Goodman escorts Harris to inauguration ceremony as acting deputy House sergeant at arms
Former Vice President Mike Pence and other lawmakers were just a few feet away and Goodman’s quick thinking potentially saved them from harm or death.
“When Officer Goodman reached the second floor, he positioned himself so that he was between the rioters and the Senate floor — which had not yet been evacuated,” an FBI affidavit filed in court stated.
“Realizing that he could not prevent the mob from storming the Senate floor by himself, Officer Goodman baited the rioters into continuing to follow him — luring them away from the Senate floor and into an adjacent hallway.”
Read More: Pence tried to contact Capitol officer Eugene Goodman to thank him
However, the Hughes brothers ultimately found their way inside the Senate chamber. They “sat in Senators’ chairs, opened Senators’ desks, and reviewed sensitive material stored therein,” the complaint read.
The Hughes brothers turned themselves in to authorities on Jan. 11 after finding out that they were wanted by the FBI. They offered their information to the Helena police department in Montana and were then allowed to return home.
The agency has arrested and charged more than 150 people who were involved in the Capitol breach, per a database by the Program on Extremism at George Washington University.
Goodman has not given any interviews since his heroic actions but has remained visible. He escorted Vice President Kamala Harris to the inauguration in his new capacity as the acting deputy House Sergeant at Arms.
A group of bipartisan lawmakers have also put forth legislation to honor Goodman with the Congressional Gold Medal.
“In moments of crisis, there are always individuals who rise to the occasion and put themselves in harm’s way in defense of others. On Jan. 6, 2021, one of those individuals was Officer Eugene Goodman,” Congressman Emanuel Cleaver II said in a press release.
“If not for the quick, decisive, and heroic actions from Officer Goodman, the tragedy of last week’s insurrection could have multiplied in magnitude to levels never before seen in American history. With this prestigious award, we can show our gratitude to Officer Goodman for saving countless lives and defending our democracy.”
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