A student at Gallaudet University in D.C. is accused of taking part in the riot at the Capitol earlier this month.
Vitali Gossjankowski contacted D.C. police to express that he wanted to turn himself in. He said that someone called him to let him know that his image was in FBI wanted posters of rioters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6.
The FBI and D.C. police arrived on the 800 block of Florida Avenue at the Gallaudet University campus last Thursday to interview Gossjankowski, who said that he never went inside of the Capitol building and that he went there out of curiosity, going with a friend from Frederick, Maryland.
He admitted that he had a stun gun that he found on the ground when he was walking toward the Capitol. He said that he left after he could not get into the building and threw away the stun gun in a trash can outside.
A video from Jan. 6 reviewed by law enforcement showed a person wearing a blue jacket and black sunglasses entering a covered area that leads to the entrance of the Capitol building.
The person had a stun gun that was handed to him by another man. The person in the blue jacket was shown activating the stun gun and “pushing himself through the crowd of violent individuals towards the police line that was protecting the entrance to the U.S. Capitol building,” according to a statement of facts submitted to the Justice Department.
Gossjankowski was wearing a similar blue jacket when he was interviewed Thursday.
Law enforcement spoke with Gossjankowski again on Sunday, asking him about D.C. police officer Mike Fanone, who was beaten by rioters.
Fanone said that he was stunned several times and experienced a mild heart attack that led to being hospitalized.
Gossjankowski said he recognized Fanone and described him as the officer with tattoos on his neck, but he denied using a stun gun on Fanone. He said that if he touched Fanone, it was on Fanone’s helmet to merely help him.
Gossjankowski said the pictures and videos he took while he was on the Capitol grounds were either deleted or lost when his phone died.
He was arrested Monday on charges related to entering the Capitol with intent to impede or disrupt government business, as well as using or carrying a dangerous weapon.
