The mother of Ashli Babbitt, the unarmed protester who was shot and killed by Capitol Police officer Michael Byrd during the Jan. 6 protest in Washington, D.C., spoke out after her arrest on the second anniversary of the event.
Micki Witthoeft told Newsmax hours later that she was “aggressively” arrested and detained for allegedly disobeying an order to cease obstruction of a roadway. She was released shortly afterward.
Witthoeft, 58, said she and others were searching for a place to lay flowers in remembrance of her daughter and other “unarmed American patriots” who were victims that day.
Her daughter, a 35-year-old Air Force veteran, entered the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 as part of a crowd protesting the certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential victory. Video evidence showed her being shot as she climbed through a broken window near the Speaker’s Lobby.
She later died at a Washington, D.C. hospital.
EXCLUSIVE: Trump SLAMS arrest of Ashli Babbitt's mother
‘We're not gonna let this go on’https://t.co/lP6UsnKagb
— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) January 8, 2023
The Justice Department declined to pursue criminal charges against the officer, and Capitol Police refused to take disciplinary action against Lt. Michael Byrd. The shooter told NBC News that firing his weapon was the “last resort” to stop the unarmed woman.
As Biden marked the two-year anniversary by giving medals to officers injured in the line of duty, Witthoeft recounted that she and others merely wanted to lay flowers on the steps of the Capitol. However, they were denied entry — presumably for carrying signs and flags.
At that point, they went searching for another location to place the memorial, and Babbit’s mother said they were restricted in where they could walk. They could not proceed on the sidewalk “because we had American flags at the United States Capitol.”
That’s when she said they walked on the road and were arrested. The incident was captured on video. Witthoeft reported the officer “started yanking me around” when she put her hands behind her back.
Capitol Police released a statement noting that “the group did not have a permit to demonstrate on Capitol Grounds.”
