MoCo Cop Assaulted Police During Jan. 6 Capitol Riot: FBI

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD — A Montgomery County police officer was indicted on two felony charges for assaulting police during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, according to federal officials.

Justin Lee, 25, of Rockville, was arrested Thursday and appeared before a federal magistrate judge for arraignment on seven counts, including felony counts of civil disorder and assaulting, resisting or impeding a police officer.

Prior to his indictment, Lee was already on administrative leave from the Montgomery County Police Department for his involvement in the shooting death of a man. On July 22, Lee shot and killed a man accused of stabbing multiple people in Montgomery County after he charged at Lee.

The suspect was later identified as 19-year-old Franklin Castro Ordonez of Gaithersburg.

The Maryland Attorney General’s independent investigations division is overseeing the investigation into Lee’s fatal shooting of Ordonez.

According to the MCPD, Lee is accused of participating in the Jan. 6 riots prior to being hired as a Montgomery County police officer. His application for employment with the department was submitted in July 2021. His date of hire with the MCPD was Jan. 31, 2022.

“The Montgomery County Police Department conducts a thorough background investigation as part of its standard hiring process to ensure the suitability of candidates for employment,” the police department said in a news release Thursday. “Lee's involvement in the January 6 insurrection was not discovered during this process, as he was not identified by the Justice Department in connection with the event.”

The MCPD said Thursday that Lee has been suspended without pay, and the department is taking steps to terminate his employment.

The department also said it is starting a comprehensive review of its background investigation process to determine whether adjustments need to be made after learning about Lee’s involvement in the Jan. 6 riots.

Several members of law enforcement and the military have been arrested in connection with the Jan. 6 riots. Thomas Webster, a member of the New York Police Department, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for assaulting a D.C. Police officer at the Capitol during the riots. Thomas Robertson, an officer with the Rocky Mount Police Department in Virginia, was sentenced to seven years in prison on multiple felony counts related to Jan. 6.

Lee was released on his own recognizance on Thursday. He was ordered to return to court on Oct. 25.

The case against Lee was investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. In the 33 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,100 people have been charged for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, according to the U.S. attorney's office.

Lee is being represented by attorney Terrell Roberts III, a lawyer who often represents people suing Maryland police departments over alleged acts of brutality, according to The Washington Post.