A Capitol rioter told the FBI that officers 'helped us' and did not stop him from entering
- A Capitol rioter told the FBI that officers in the building "helped us in the Capitol."
- Benjamin Torre was arrested in Georgia on February 9 on suspicion of breaching the building.
- Torre is one of over 240 people facing charges for their role in the insurrection.
A Capitol insurrectionist accused of breaching the US Capitol on January 6 told the FBI that officers in the building "helped us" and did not stop him and others from entering, according to federal court filings.
Benjamin Torre was arrested on February 9 in Georgia and charged with one count of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority and one count of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
When questioned by the FBI, Torre said he entered the Capitol by crawling through a broken window on the western wing of the building, according to a statement of facts from a redacted special agent of the FBI. He told investigators he saw multiple officers standing around inside the building and that the officers "helped us in the Capitol" and failed to stop rioters from entering.
Torre answered most of the FBI's questions, but prosecutors allege that he refused to identify a person he took a photo with inside of the Capitol.
According to court filings, a video from inside of the Capitol during the insurrection shows Torre standing in the Senate Spouse's Lounge and can be heard telling a fellow rioter that the event was not his first time at the Capitol.
"This is crazy. I've never seen anything like this before in my life," Torre said. "God dang, dude. I've been here so many times in my life, but never like this. Never like this."
Torre further told investigators that he originally attempted to leave the Capitol through the same broken window that he originally entered, but an officer told him to exit through a door to avoid getting injured.
Torre is one of over 240 people who have been arrested on suspicion of crimes surrounding the Capitol insurrection. The acting US Attorney Michael Sherwin said in January the FBI had opened more than 170 subject files and expected the number of charges to grow into the hundreds.
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