Santa Clara man charged in Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection
A Santa Clara man has been charged with a federal felony and other crimes after the FBI identified him as part of a mob that violently clashed with a police line during the January 6, 2021 riot in Washington, DC, around the US Capitol to protect
Patrick Allen Bournes, 59, was arrested by federal authorities over the weekend, according to the US Attorney for the District of Columbia. He is scheduled to be arraigned by Judge Robin Meriweather via video conference on February 7 and did not have a registered attorney as of Thursday.
According to federal documents unsealed Monday, Bournes was charged with a felony count of obstructing law enforcement during a civil disorder and misdemeanor allegations that he was illegally on restricted premises, committed disorderly conduct on those grounds, and physical violence exercised and impeded traversal of Capitol grounds or buildings.
The clash, which authorities say Bournes was involved in, was one of the longest and most violent standoffs between rioters and police in the city, lasting nearly three hours. About 10 minutes after Bournes was said to have been part of a protracted confrontation on Lower West Terrace – widely known as the “Tunnel” patchoff – Officer Michael Fanone was nefariously dragged into the crowd and attacked by several men, resulting in, that Fanone suffered a heart attack and a traumatic brain injury.
Federal prosecutors have not charged Bournes with directly assaulting police officers, but allege that he “participated in the siege of law enforcement in the tunnel, including by targeting officers and helping other rioters target the officers.”
According to an FBI investigative summary accompanying the criminal complaint, on January 6, 2021, between 3:03 p.m. and as he was pushed back, he helped other members of the crowd “hand what appeared to be a police sign through the crowd and out of the tunnel.”
This protracted clash between the mob and police became notorious for crowds tearing away police equipment, pepper-spraying officers and chanting chants ordering rioters to kill the officers with their own guns.
Bournes, prosecutors allege, broke the law by continuing to advance “in a concerted effort” with other people toward the police line, where the crowd “erected a wall of police shields” that they pressed against the officers. After about 10 minutes, Bournes exited the tunnel, according to investigators, who cited CCTV footage in their formal allegations.
According to the FBI, Bournes was identified by authorities as part of the tunnel mob through nearly a dozen surveillance footage of the riot, which was confirmed by a relative of Bournes who identified him. Investigators also matched Bournes’ images to his LinkedIn page, which has since removed any photos or identifying information.
The FBI summary said Bournes first became the subject of an investigation after the agency received a tip in February 2021. He was charged on January 12 and an arrest warrant was issued the same day.
To date, nearly 300 people across the country have been charged with assaulting or disrupting police during the Capitol Raid, which is blamed for four deaths of people in the crowd and up to five deaths of police officers — one killed during the Fighting injuries killed the mob and four who later died by suicide after the uprising.
