Doctor accused of punching officer during Capitol riot has just been arrested, feds say
A doctor from Massachusetts accused of punching a police officer during the Capitol riot has been arrested, officials said.
On Jan. 6, 2021, Jacquelyn Starer, a 68-year-old practicing physician, was seen attending the “Stop the Steal” rally near the United States Capitol building, according to an FBI affidavit. Videos show her wearing a red “Trump 45” pom-pom hat and carrying a backpack.
The rally, which was organized by far-right activists, became increasingly violent throughout the day, and “protestors became rioters,” according to the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack.
Starer, a resident of Ashland, about 30 miles west of Boston, previously bragged to a friend that she had “prepared” for Jan. 6 and possessed a knife-proof shirt and bottles of mace, according to the FBI.
An attorney for Starer, an attending physician once affiliated with Brigham & Women’s Faulkner Hospital according to her LinkedIn profile, could not immediately be reached by McClatchy News. CBS Boston confirmed she is no longer active at that hospital.
Following the rally, Starer, along with hundreds of others, made their way toward the Capitol building and illegally infiltrated the premises, the FBI said.
While inside, Starer punched a female police officer in the head, according to the FBI, citing the officer’s testimony and body camera footage.
Shortly after, Starer approached the same officer again, and the officer struck her in response, the FBI said.
After it appeared that she had been sprayed by a chemical irritant, Starer eventually backed off and left the building, the FBI said.
Starer was arrested and charged with civil disorder, assaulting officers, entering a restricted building, disorderly conduct in a restricted building and engaging in physical violence in a restricted building, according to a Dec. 20 press release from the U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C.
In the nearly two years since Jan. 6, 2021, almost 900 individuals from across the country have been arrested in connection to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, according to the release. Over 270 of them have been charged with assault or impeding law enforcement. The investigation is ongoing.
On Dec. 19, the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack, in an unprecedented move, referred former President Donald Trump for criminal prosecution for his role in the storming of the Capitol.
Citing “more than sufficient evidence” the committee stated that the former president, as well as other associates, aided an insurrection and conspired to defraud the United States.
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