The mother of the woman shot dead by Capitol police during the Jan. 6 riot was arrested Tuesday night after a violent confrontation with a protester outside the Washington DC jail where the rioters are being held.
Micki Witthoeft’s daughter, Ashli Babbitt, died in the Capitol and her mother has since become a passionate defender of those trying to overthrow the 2020 election.
Witthoeft, 58, was part of a group of right-wing protesters who marched on Monday towards the prison where many of the rioters are being held.
She fought with a counter-demonstrator and was arrested on Tuesday and charged with assault.
Ashli Babbitt’s mother, in the white T-shirt, is seen fighting with a protester outside DC jail on Monday. On Tuesday, she was arrested and charged with assault
Micki Witthoeft, mother of Ashli Babbitt, who was fatally shot after breaching the US Capitol, is seen at a House Judiciary Committee hearing on May 18
Witthoeft is pictured leading a march in memory of her daughter through DC on Monday
A police officer stands guard on Tuesday as Witthoeft is arrested for assault
The drama began on Memorial Day, when Witthoeft and other sympathizers marched to the Central Detention Facility in Southeast DC.
Witthoeft, of Spring Valley, California, marches close to Brianne Chapman, who goes by the name Anarchy Princess, and live-streamed the event.
Chapman had previously, in October, live-streamed herself stomping on flowers placed outside the Capitol to mark Babbitt’s birthday.
On Monday, Chapman yelled, “F*** Ashli Babbitt!”
As the group marched through D.C., Chapman yelled into a megaphone, “Terrorists are coming through your neighborhood!”
She continued, “Ashli Babbitt’s Mother, Domestic Terrorist! Nazis coming! Rebellious losers!’
Chapman gave Witthoeft her middle finger.
Brianne Chapman, who goes by the name ‘Anarchy Princess’, can be seen in a green t-shirt walking in front of Witthoeft, calling her a ‘terrorist’ and a ‘Nazi’
Witthoeft can be seen shoving Chapman, who is still live-streaming the encounter
Chapman marches forward, towards the prison, still livestreaming
Witthoeft can be seen holding Chapman’s megaphone
Chapman chases after Witthoeft, wanting her megaphone back
Witthoeft slammed the bullhorn to the ground, leaving Chapman – still filming – to pick it up
Witthoeft then marched over to Chapman, who was standing on the other side of the road, and grabbed her megaphone, which played siren sounds.
Witthoeft slammed the megaphone to the ground, where parts of it seemed to break off.
Tommy Tatum, a prominent participant in the January 6 defendants’ movement, confronted Chapman, and the pair briefly took it up.
A police officer then intervened to break them up.
Chapman was heard to say loudly, “I have to press charges.”
Witthoeft was arrested outside prison on Tuesday.
After she was detained, a group of right-wing protesters stood by the police vehicle and shouted, “Ashli Babbitt! Ashli Babbitt!’
Witthoeft was released several hours later, according to one Daily beast reporter on the scene, and returned to the right-wing protest area outside the prison, called “freedom corner.”
“I popped my head when I got into the rice wagon,” she told a small crowd of supporters.
“The MPD ward on M Street has a serious rat problem.”
When asked about the booking process, Witthoeft said: ‘It was actually not too bad.’
She admitted to hitting Chapman, adding, “There’s really no denying it.”
Tommy Tatum, a prominent participant in the January 6 defendants’ movement, confronts Chapman before police separate them
A DC police officer stepped in to separate Chapman and Tatum
Ashli Babbitt, a fanatical Trump supporter, was shot and killed by Capitol police on January 6, 2021 as she attempted to storm the Capitol in protest of the 2020 election results
Hugh Carew, a spokesman for the DC Metropolitan Police Department, confirmed Witthoeft’s arrest.
“58-year-old Michelle Witthoeft of Spring Valley, CA, was arrested and charged with simple assault and destruction of property,” he said.
Tuesday’s arrest is not Witthoeft’s first.
She was taken into custody for blocking traffic at a memorial event on Jan. 6 earlier this year, with police also citing the group’s lack of permits to hold the event on Capitol grounds.
The charges were eventually dropped.