Federal agents raided the home of a Georgia couple associated with Chris Hill, the leader of a far-right militia, and hauled away cellphon...
Federal agents raided the home of a Georgia couple associated with Chris Hill, the leader of a far-right militia, and hauled away cellphones, computers and other electronics as part of the widening investigation into the January 6 riot at the US Capitol, the couple said.
About 40 federal agents driving four armored vehicles descended on the property about five miles north of Covington in Newton County on August 10, property owner Donnie Hyatt told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Hyatt said he was in his car on his long driveway when the agents came to raid the property around 7am.
'They had my 11-year-old daughter at gunpoint,' he told the outlet.
The agents' laser sights were aimed at her, he said, and she is 'pretty shaken' by the experience: 'She still shakes when she talks about it.'
Donnie Hyatt is pictured with his wife Anne Hyatt. The couple claim FBI agents raided their home in Newton County, Georgia, on August 10
Donnie Hyatt said about 40 federal agents driving four armored vehicles descended on the property about five miles north of Covington in Newton County on August 10
Donnie Hyatt, whose home was raided by the FBI on August 10, said that he knows far-right organizer Chris Hill (pictured) personally, and that Hill and his wife are frequently in communication. However, he maintains that they are not a member of the militia: 'I don't participate for this very reason - I can't have my life destroyed'
While the agents had a warrant to converge upon the property, Hyatt said that it was for a sealed investigation, and that they did not divulge many details to the frightened residents.
Members of the FBI refused to provide comment when contacted by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Hyatt said that although he and his wife attended Donald Trump's January 6 'Stop the Steal' rally outside the White House, he contends that they did not join the subsequent siege on Congress.
Agents confiscated cellphones, computers and even his daughter's tablet: 'they took basically every electronic device in my house,' Hyatt said.
He said that he believes the election was 'stolen' from Trump and that the rioters were 'acting out of frustration,' but said that he thought it was a 'really dumb decision' for thousands of protesters to storm the Capitol.
'I understand why they did it,' he said. 'I'm still angry about (the election). I'm angry about how I'm being treated.'
Although he and his wife kept updated on what was taking place during the siege, they were not in touch with anyone inside the building, and that they 'don't even know anybody that knows anybody that went in.'
The Hyatt family is associated with 111% Security Force and its leader, Stockbridge resident Chris Hill, according to the Journal-Constitution.
Five were killed during the riots, including one Capitol police officer. As of August 2, four officers involved in controlling the insurgent mob have died by suicide, and 138 officers were injured.
Members of the Georgia Security Force III% militia wait together during a field training exercise July 29, 2017 in Jackson, Georgia
Hill announced the raid on Wednesday using a social media site called Clapper (he has been banned from Facebook, Youtube and other mainstream outlet).
'The roundup has begun. The police state has begun,' he wrote.
'All you have to do is simply stand on American soil and your constitutional rights are trampled, your life is ruined and you get raider, Weaver style, in front of the family.'
Chris Hill announced the raid on Wednesday using a social media site called Clapper (he has been banned from Facebook, Youtube and other mainstream outlet).
Hill referred to the 1992 federal raid of the Idaho home of Randy Weaver, a self-proclaimed white separatist. An 11-day standoff between Weaver and the feds ensued, leaving the man's wife and 14-year-old son and a US Marshal shot dead.
Hyatt said that he knows Hill personally, and that Hill and his wife are frequently in communication, but maintains that they are not a member of the militia: 'I don't participate (in the militia) for this very reason - I can't have my life destroyed.'
Hill, who has been a far-right personality on the fringe for years, was not in Washington D.C. on the day of the insurrection. Instead, he attended a smaller protest at the Georgia State Capitol, along with QAnon adherents.
Hyatt said that an FBI agent he had spoken to on the day of the raid remarked that Hill had 'other people do his dirty work for him'.
Five were killed during the January 6 riots, including one Capitol police officer. As of August 2, four officers involved in controlling the insurgent mob have died by suicide, and 138 officers were injured.
One officer, who later suffered a heart attack as a result of his injuries, was repeated electrocuted with a taser and threatened with his own firearm. Another was beaten with a flag pole.
It took several hours for the National Guard and members of the Capitol's police forces to clear the government building of rioters. Gallows were erected outside the Capitol, and insurgents were captured on camera with zip ties and lethal weaponry.
During his presidency, Trump impeached twice by the House and twice acquitted by the Senate.
The second impeachment attempt stemmed from his alleged encouragement of the riots, telling his supporters just before the insurrection to 'fight like hell' to overturn his defeat to Biden and claiming that the results of the election were fraudulent.
Thus far, the FBI has arrested over 500 people in relation to the historic upheaval, according to the BBC.
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