Pittsfield Man Faces Charges Arraigned in D.C. Superior Court

A Pittsfield man faces charges in connection with a mob’s storming of the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday.

The Berkshire Eagle reports that David Lester Ross, 33, was arraigned Thursday in D.C. Superior Court on charges of unlawful entry and violating the District of Columbia’s 6 p.m. curfew, which had been set in place Wednesday by the city’s mayor in light of expected disturbances as lawmakers prepared to validate the outcome of the November presidential election.

Ross was among thousands who entered the Capitol area on Wednesday, some of whom engaged in vandalism and violence.

Before the Capitol was cleared and secured, one person was shot and killed and now the death count is up to five, with one being a Capitol Police Officer dying from injuries sustained in the riot others died as a result of medical emergencies.

U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling said Thursday, Anyone who traveled from Massachusetts to Washington, D.C., with the intent of participating in Wednesday’s violent attack on the Capitol will face prosecution in the Bay State.

In a statement released by Lelling he said:

“The Constitution protects the right to freedom of speech and assembly,” Lelling said in a statement “What it does not protect is a violent assault on government institutions. Americans on the right and left must re-learn the difference. Anyone who traveled from Massachusetts with the intent to commit such crimes will be prosecuted in the District of Massachusetts.”

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