Two Men Arrested for Attacking a News Photographer During 2021 Capitol Riot

Two brothers have been arrested and charged with assaulting a New York Times photographer and stealing her equipment during the attack on the U.S. Capitol January 6, 2021.

“Philip Walker, 52, of Upper Chichester, Pennsylvania, and David Walker, 49, of Delran, New Jersey, are both charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with felony offenses of federal robbery, assault with the intent to commit a felony, and destruction of property,” the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia writes in a news release.

Philip Walker, 52, of Upper Chichester, Pennsylvania, and David Walker, 49, of Delran, New Jersey, have both been charged with federal robbery, assault with the intent to commit a felony, and destruction of property.

“In addition to the felonies, the Walkers are both charged with seven misdemeanor offenses, including assault by striking, beating, and wounding, entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building or grounds, act of violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings, and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building.”

The FBI arrested the Walkers on September 12 at their residences. The two men, who are brothers, will make their initial appearance in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and in New Jersey.

Court documents did not name the photographer, however The New York Times confirmed that the victim was staff photographer Erin Schaff. The Times said it is grateful to authorities “for their persistence in pursuing justice in this case.”

Schaff has written about her assault on January 6. Rioters inside the Capitol, she said, stole a camera, broke another, and shoved her to the floor.

“Grabbing my press pass, they saw that my ID said The New York Times and became really angry. They threw me to the floor, trying to take my cameras. I started screaming for help as loudly as I could. No one came. People just watched,” she wrote, referring to other rioters in the Capitol.

Photographer Schaff won three Awards of Excellence from the White House News Photographers Association for her work in 2021: in the Political Portfolio category, in the Insider’s Washington category for her photo of Jill Biden grading papers on a flight and in the Picture Story/Politics category for her coverage of Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial.

About the author: Ken Klein lives in Silver Spring, Maryland; he is retired after a career in politics, lobbying, and media including The Associated Press and Gannett in Florida. Klein is an alumnus of Ohio University and a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council of the Scripps College of Communication. Professionally, he has worked for Fort Myers News-Press (Gannett), The Associated Press (Tallahassee), Senator Bob Graham, and the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA).

Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.