A police lieutenant photographed in a red “Make America Great Again” cap during the riot at the U.S. Capitol says the cap was part of a plan to save his fellow officers, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Images of the officer, identified by the Journal as Lt. Tarik, spread quickly online and raised plenty of questions about why a member of law enforcement was wearing the cap among the crowd. The Journal reports that Tarik told colleagues the pictures were not what they seemed. He said he put the cap on to win the trust of a small group of rioters so he could free more than a dozen officers who were trapped.
Tarik also provided a witness to the Journal who said his actions helped get a set of doors to the Capitol closed, shutting off an entry point for more intruders.
The paper reports that Tarik voted as a registered Democrat in Maryland’s primary last year. Colleagues told the Journal he was not known as a Trump supporter, and some were surprised when the photo of him in the cap began to circulate.
Video footage reviewed by the Journal shows Tarik recruiting a handful of rioters to help him free about 16 officers from the crowd. The video does not show when or how he ended up wearing the cap. Baller Alert has not independently verified his account.
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