- Two
Seattle PD officers were fired after being accused of trespassing at the Capitol on January 6. - The news comes after a six-months-long internal investigation by the
Seattle Police Department. - Three other officers were cleared of wrongdoing, and an investigation into another was inconclusive.
Two Seattle Police Officers were dismissed on Friday after an internal investigation found that they illegally trespassed during the insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6.
The news was announced by Seattle Police Department Chief Adrian Diaz on the Seattle Police Department blotter website. Seattle Police Department had the highest number of off-duty officers nationwide identified at former President Donald Trump's rally on January 6.
"Today, I issued my final discipline in the case of two officers found to have been in Washington, DC, on January 6th. Based on the evidence presented to me and the statement of the officers themselves, I have terminated their employment with the Seattle Police Department, effective immediately," Diaz wrote.
The two officers were identified as married couple Alexander Everett and Caitlin Rochelle Everett, and Diaz in the report said that fellow officers had reported that the pair were at the Capitol on January 6.
"The two officers were found to have crossed the outdoor barriers established by the Capitol Police and were directly next to the Capitol Building. Clear evidence places them directly next to the Capitol Building," Diaz wrote.
Investigators said that Alexander Everett and Caitlin Rochelle Everett said that the officers lied to investigators about their whereabouts, and Diaz said that "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 also apologized to the police agencies that responded to and were overrun by rioters on January 6.
According to the summary of the investigation, senior investigators from the Seattle Office of Police Accountability traveled to Washington, DC, and spoke to numerous people who may have interacted with the Everetts and other officers, including waiters, hotel clerks, and officials within the US Capitol Police as well as the DC Metropolitan Police Department.
Investigators also reviewed photo and video footage and coordinated with federal investigators.
Three other officers were cleared of any allegations of unprofessional or illegal conduct, and the investigation into a fourth officer was deemed to be inconclusive.