The mother of the woman shot and killed by Capitol Police on January 6 was arrested on Tuesday night following a violent confrontation with a protester outside the Washington DC prison where the rioters are being held.
Micki Witthoeft’s daughter Ashli Babbitt died inside 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 to the prison where many of the rioters are being held.
She scuffled with a counter-protester, and on Tuesday was arrested, briefly detained and charged with assault.
Ashli Babbitt’s mother, in the white t-shirt, is seen on Monday scuffling with a protester outside the DC prison. 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 on May 18 at a hearing of the House Judiciary Committee
Witthoeft is pictured on Monday leading a march in her daughter’s memory through DC
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 on the Central Detention Facility in Southeast DC.
Witthoeft, from Spring Valley, California, can be seen marching close to Brianne Chapman, who goes by the name Anarchy Princess and live-streamed the event.
Chapman had previously, in October, live-streamed herself stamping on flowers outside the Capitol which were placed to mark Babbitt’s birthday.
On Monday, Chapman yelled: ‘F*** Ashli Babbitt!’
As the group marched through DC, Chapman shouted with a megaphone: ‘Terrorists coming through your neighborhood!’
She continued: ‘Ashli Babbitt’s mom, domestic terrorist! Nazis incoming! Insurrectionist losers!’
Chapman stuck her middle finger up at Witthoeft.
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 ahead, towards the prison, still live-streaming
Witthoeft can be seen with Chapman’s megaphone in her hand
Chapman chases after Witthoeft, wanting to get her megaphone back
Witthoeft smashed the megaphone into the ground, leaving Chapman – still filming – to pick it up
Witthoeft then marched up to Chapman, who was on the other side of the road, and grabbed her megaphone, which was playing siren sounds.
Witthoeft hurled the megaphone on 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 squared off.
A police officer then intervened to separate them.
Chapman could be heard saying loudly: ‘I need to press charges.’
On Tuesday, Witthoeft was arrested outside the prison.
After she was detained, a group of right-wing protesters stood near the police vehicle, chanting: ‘Ashli Babbitt! Ashli Babbitt!’
Witthoeft was released several hours later, according to a Daily Beast reporter on scene, and returned to the right-wing protest area outside of the jail, called ‘freedom corner.’
‘I did clonk my head getting in the paddy wagon,’ she told a small crowd of supporters.
‘The MPD department on M Street has a serious rat problem.’
Asked about the booking process, Witthoeft said: ‘It really wasn’t that bad.’
She admitted hitting Chapman, adding: ‘There’s really no denying it.’
Tommy Tatum, a prominent participant in the January 6 defendants’ movement, is seen confronting Chapman before police separated them
A DC police officer intervened 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 at the 2020 election results
Hugh Carew, a spokesman for D.C. 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 January 6 remembrance event earlier this year, with police also citing the group’s lack of permits to hold the event on Capitol grounds.
Charges were ultimately dropped.
