A 27-year-old Chicago man faces felony and misdemeanor charges for allegedly taking part in the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.
Patrick Gorski, 27, was arrested Thursday and charged with a felony count of obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder and four misdemeanor offenses: entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building.
He was released pending trial, according to court documents.
Gorski joins more than 50 other Illinois residents charged in relation to the insurrection, according to prosecutors with the Northern District Court of Illinois.
Gorski attended the “Stop the Steal” rally before marching toward the Capitol building with others, prosecutors said. Wearing a “Make America Great Again” hoodie and hat, he climbed a wall onto the northwest stairs, taking selfies and helping other rioters remove tarps from the inaugural scaffolding and passing a bike rack to others in the mob.
The group broke the police line while Gorski allegedly shouted “This is our house” and “Let us in,” before he made his way to the Lower West Terrace Tunnel, prosecutors said. He is then alleged to have entered again near the Senate Wing door at 3:14 p.m. before trying to re-enter the building through the East Rotunda Doors, though police kept him and others out.
Gorski, who previously worked as a freelance photographer in Chicago, told investigators he hadn’t been at the riot but was in Washington sightseeing, according to court documents. He also said anyone who alleged he was there was only doing so because of his political views.
In messages obtained by investigators, Gorski often shared election conspiracies and later discussed being there with friends, according to court documents.
“Last time this happened it was done by the British in 1812 regardless this was one of the most historical things ever,” he wrote in a message to a friend Jan. 6, 2021. “Zero media covering it when it was actually happening [sic] I was the closest thing to a photographer there.”
After at least four tips identified him as someone who had been part of the riot, he began messaging people he thought had sent the tips, according to court documents.
“I did nothing wrong lol please put me in the select j6 committee [sic] to show it was people like you that gave up our country,” he said to a friend he believed gave the FBI tips on his whereabouts that day. “I don’t know what you thought you’d get out of it by submitting my name to a database when it is already public.”
Another Illinois man charged in the attack, Theodore Middendorf of McLeansboro, has now sought to delay a guilty plea resulting from the riot. His lawyer argued that Trump’s election means “there will be an upcoming, likely significant, change in administration and uncertainty” around how such cases will play out.
Trump has promised to pardon those who have been prosecuted for their role in the attack, which more than 50 Illinois residents were charged for.
Contributing: Jon Seidel