Seattle Police Chief Fires 2 Officers Present At DC Insurrection

SEATTLE — Two Seattle police officers were fired Friday, nearly one month after a watchdog investigation found both were trespassing in a "clearly prohibited area" as rioters climbed the Capitol walls on Jan. 6. In findings released in July, Office of Police Accountability director Andrew Myerberg said both officers were caught on camera smiling as they stood by and witnessed others "defiling the seat of American democracy and assaulting fellow law enforcement officers."

Myerberg's investigation recommended termination for the pair and ruled inconclusively on a third officer. For three other Seattle officers present in D.C. on Jan. 6, Myerberg ruled their actions did not break the law or violate department policy.

Multiple outlets previously identified the two officers as Caitlin Rochelle and Alexander Everett, 37, a married couple living in Covington. In disciplinary reports released Friday, the Seattle Police Department formally named them for the first time.

In a news release, interim Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz said clear evidence placed the couple directly next to the Capitol building and well beyond barriers placed by Capitol Police.

"It is beyond absurd to suggest that they did not know they were in an area where they should not be, amidst what was already a violent, criminal riot," Diaz wrote Friday.

His statement continues:

"These two officers were present at an attack on the U.S. Capitol, which was also an attack on our profession and on every officer across the country. Make no mistake: as a result of the events on January 6th, five Capitol police officers have lost their lives. More than a hundred officers sustained serious injuries – some career-ending – through outright assault. Hundreds more, across all agencies called to respond, bear the physical and emotional scars of that day. The participation of these two officers in that crowd is a stain on our department, and on the men and women who work every day to protect our community, serve those in need, and do so with compassion and dignity.

On behalf of the Seattle Police Department, I send my apologies to the Capitol Police, Washington DC Metro Police, Virginia State Police and all the other agencies that put themselves on the line protecting the Capitol and who continue to bear the scars of that day."

Included in the materials released Thursday was an annotated map, illustrating where the officers were pictured standing during the insurrection. The final disciplinary reports for both officers are available on the department's website.