March 9 (UPI) -- A New York man was arrested Wednesday on charges related to the Jan. 6, 2021, siege and riot at the U.S. Capitol, court documents show.
Ralph Joseph Celentano III is accused of assaulting a police officer during the breach of the Capitol, the Justice Department said in a statement.
He has been charged in the District of Columbia.
Celentano was part of a crowd of rioters at the West Terrace of the Capitol and was caught on video and security cameras, a criminal complaint said. He then approached and shoved a uniformed Capitol Police officer from behind, causing the officer to fall over a ledge, according to the Justice Department.
The officer is a veteran of the Iraq war and recalled being "blind-sided" from behind in a "football-type tackle." He also recalled thinking "I didn't survive a war to go out like this," according to the complaint filed by the Justice Department.
The 54-year-old Celentano was arrested in Broad Channel, N.Y. and made his initial court appearance Wednesday in the Eastern District of New York.
Police also searched his home following the arrest.
He faces charges of assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers, civil disorder, engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds, and other related offenses.
The Justice Department also said Celentano engaged in other physical altercations with several uniformed law enforcement personnel during the incident.
