YOU MY PERSONAL CAPACITY AS
REPRESENTATIVE OF THE U.S.
CAPITOL.
IT IS
IMPERATIVE THAT THE EVENTS OF
JANUARY 6th ARE FULLY
INVESTIGATED AND THE CONGRESS
AND THE AMERICAN PEOPLE KNOW THE
TRUTH OF WHAT ACTUALLY OCCURRED
AND THAT ALL OF THOSE
RESPONSIBLE ARE HELD
ACCOUNTABLE, PARTICULARLY TO
ENSURE THE HORRIFIC AND SHAMEFUL
EVENT IN OUR HISTORY NEVER
REPEATS ITSELF
I APPLAUD YOU FOR PURSUING THIS.
EVEN THOUGH THERE IS
OVERWHELMING EVIDENCE TO THE
CONTRARY, INCLUDING HOURS AND
HOURS OF VIDEOS AND PHOTOGRAPHIC
COVERAGE, A CONTINUED SHOCKING
ATTEMPT TO IGNORE OR TRY TO
DESTROY THE TRUTH OF WHAT TRULY
HAPPENED THAT DAY AND TO
WHITEWASH THE FACTS INTO
SOMETHING OTHER THAN WHAT IT
REVEALED, AN ATTACK ON OUR
DEMOCRACY BY A VIOLENT DOMESTIC
EXTREMISTS AND STAIN OUR HISTORY
AND OUR MORAL STANDING VIA HOME
AND ABROAD
AS A CHILD IN THE DOMINICAN
REPUBLIC, I LOOK UP TO THE
UNITED STATES AS A LINE OF
OPPORTUNITY AND A PLACE TO
BETTER MYSELF.
FROM THAT MOMENT I LANDED AT JFK
IN 1992, I HAVE TRIED TO PURSUE
THAT GOAL.
THANKFULLY, I ACHIEVED THAT GOAL
ON MANY LEVELS
I WAS A FIRST IN MY FAMILY TO
GRADUATE COLLEGE I JOINED THE ARMY.
I JOINED THE ARMY.
AND BECOME A POLICE OFFICER.
ON JULY 20, 1999, THE DAY BEFORE
MY 21st BIRTHDAY, I RAISED MY
HAND AND SWORE TO PROTECT THE
CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED
STATES
BECAUSE THIS COUNTRY GAVE ME AN
OPPORTUNITY TO BECOME ANYTHING
THAT I WANTED.
AT THAT TIME, I ALREADY STARTED
BASIC TRAINING WITH THE ARMY
RESERVES
IN FACT, I RAISED MY HAND
SEVERAL TIMES IN CEREMONIES TO
PLEDGE MY COMMITMENT TO PROTECT
THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED
STATES
WHEN I JOINED THE ARMY RESERVES AND PROMOTED TO SERGEANT IN THE
AND PROMOTED TO SERGEANT IN THE
ARMY, WHEN I WAS PROMOTED DURING
MY NATURALIZATION CEREMONY AND
MY ENLISTMENT IN THE ARMY.
WHEN I JOINED THE UNITED STATES
CAPITOL POLICE, AND, LASTLY,
WHEN I WAS PROMOTED TO SERGEANT
THREE YEARS AGO.
I ALWAYS HAVE TAKEN MY OATH
SERIOUSLY.
ON JANUARY 6th, 2021, I FULFILL
MY OATH ONCE MORE.
THIS TIME TO DEFEND THE UNITED
STATES CAPITOL AND MEMBERS OF
CONGRESS CARRYING OUT THEIR
CONSTITUTIONAL DUTIES TO SATISFY
THE RESULTS OF THE NOVEMBER 2020
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.
TO BE HONEST, I DID NOT
RECOGNIZE MY FELLOW CITIZENS WHO
SWARMED THE CAPITOL ON JANUARY
6th OR THE UNITED STATES THEY
CLAIM TO REPRESENT
WHEN I WAS 25 YEARS OLD AND THEN
A SERGEANT IN THE ARMY, I HAD
BEEN DEPLOYED TO IRAQ, OPERATION
IRAQI FREEDOM.
FROM TIME TO TIME, I VOLUNTEERED
TO TRAVEL ON IED-INFESTED ROADS
TO CONDUCT MISSIONS FOR THE U.S.
AND ALLIED MISSIONS AND IRAQI
POPULATION AS WELL
ON JANUARY 6th, FOR THE FIRST
TIME, I WAS MORE AFRAID TO WORK
AT THE CAPITOL THAN MY ENTIRE
DEPLOYMENT TO IRAQ
IN IRAQ, WE HAD ARMED VIOLENCE
BECAUSE WE WERE IN A WAR ZONE
BUT NOTHING IN MY EXPERIENCE IN
THE ARMY OR AS A LAW ENFORCEMENT
OFFICER PREPARE ME FOR WHAT WE
CONFRONTED ON JANUARY 6th.
THE VERBAL ASSAULTSINAND
DISRESPECT WE ENDURED FROM THE
RIOTERS WERE BAD ENOUGH.
I WAS FALSELY ACCUSED OF
BETRAYING MY OATH OF CHOOSING MY
PAYCHECK, OF CHOOSING
MY PAYCHECK, CHOOSING MY
PAYCHECK OVER THE LOYALTY TO THE
U.S. CONSTITUTION, EVEN AS I
DEFENDED THE VERY DEMOCRATIC
PROCESS THAT PROTECTED EVERYONE
IN THE HOSTILE CROWD, WHILE I
WAS AT THE LOWER WEST TERRACE OF
THE CAPITOL WORKING WITH MY
FELLOW OFFICERS TO PREVENT THE
BREACH AND RESTORE ORDER, THE
RIOTERS CALLED MY TRAITOR.
A DISGRACE AND SHOUTED THAT I --
I AN ARMY VETERAN AND POLICE
OFFICER SHOULD BE EXECUTED
SOME OF THE RIOTERS HAD THE
AUDACITY TO TELL ME THERE WAS
NOTHING PERSONAL, THAT THEY
WOULD GO THROUGH ME, THROUGH AS
YOU, POLICE OFFICERS TO ACHIEVE
THEIR GOAL AS THEY WERE BREAKING
METAL BAR YEARS TO USE AS
WEAPONS AGAINST US
WHILE THEY USED MORE MENACING
LANGUAGE, IF YOU SHOOT US, WE
ALL HAVE WEAPONS, WE WILL SHOOT
BACK
OR WELL GET OUR GUNS.
WE OUTNUMBER YOU, THEY SAID.
JOIN US.
I HEARD SPECIFIC THREATS TO A
LOT OF THOSE SPEAKER NANCY
PELOSI AND ALSO VICE-PRESIDENT
MIKE PENCE
WHEN THE PHYSICAL VIOLENCE WE
EXPERIENCED WAS HORRIFIC AND
DEVASTATING, MIP FELLOW OFFICERS
AND I WERE PUNCHED, KICKED,
SHOVED, SPRAYED WITH CHEMICAL
IRRITANTS AND EVEN BLINDED WITH
EYE-DAMAGING LAYSERS BY A
VIOLENT MOB WHO SAW US, LAW
ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS, DEDICATED
TO PROTECTING THEM AS U.S.
CITIZENS
AS AN IMPEDIMENT TO THEIR
ATTEMPTED INSURRECTION
THE MOB BROUGHT WEAPONS TO FIGHT
TO ACCOMPLISH THEY ARE
INSURRECTIONIST OBJECT HE WAS
AND USED THEM AGAINST US
THESE WEAPONS INCLUDED HAMMERS
WE REBARS, KNIVES, BATONS AND
BEAR SPRAY AND PEPPER SPRAY.
SOME OF THE RIOTERS WORE
TACTICAL GEAR, INCLUDING BULLET
PROOF GUESTS AND GAS MASKS
THE RIOTERS ALSO FORCIBLY TOOK
OUR BATON AS AND SHIELDS TO USE
AGAINST US
I WAS PARTICULARLY SHOCKED AT
THE SCENE THE INSURRECTIONISTIS
VIOLENTLY ATTACKED US WITH THE
VERY AMERICAN FLAG THEY CLAIMED
TO SOUGHT TO PROTECT
BASED ON THE COORDINATED TACTICS
WE OBSERVED AND VERBAL COMMANDS
WE HEARD, IT APPEARED MANY OF
THE ATTACKERS HAD LAW
ENFORCEMENT OR MILITARY
EXPERIENCE
THE RIOTERS WERE BASELESS AND
RELENTLESS WE FOUND OURSELVES IN
A VIOLENT BATTLE ZPRAT TO
ATTEMPT TO PREVENT THE BREACH OF
THE CAPITOL ENTRANCE NEAR THE
STAGE.
METROPOLITAN POLICE OFFICERS
WERE BEING PULLED INTO THE
CROWD.
WE HAVE ONE RIGHT HERE RIGHT
NEXT TO ME
AS WE TRIED TO PUSH THE RIOTERS
BACK FROM THE BREACH IN THE
CAPITOL, IN MY AMENDMENT TO
ASSIST TO YOU MPD OFFICERS I
GRABBED ONE OFFICER BY THE BACK
OF THE COLLAR AND PULL HIM BACK
TO THE POLICE LINE
WHEN I TRIED TO HELP THE SECOND
OFFICERS I FELL ON TOP OF
SHIELDS ON THE GROUND THAT WAS
SLRPRY BECAUSE OF THE PEPPER AND
BEAR SPRAY
RIOTERS BEGAN TO PULL ME BY MY
LEG, MY SHIELD, MY STRAP ON MY
LEFT SHOULDER.
MY SURVIVAL INSTINCTS KICKED IN
AND I STARTED KICKING AND
PUNCHING, TRYING TO GET THE MPD
OFFICERS BEHIND ME BUT THEY
COULDNT HELPED ME, BECAUSE THEY
WERE ALSO BEING ATTACKED
I FINALLY WAS ABLE TO HIT THE
RIOTER GRABBING ME WITH MY BATON
AND ABLE TO STAND.
AND THEN I CONTINUED TO FEND OFF
NEW ATTACKERS AS THEY KEPT
ROTATING AND ATTACKING US, AGAIN
AND AGAIN.
WHAT WE WERE SUBJECTED THAT DAY
WAS LIKE SOMETHING FROM A
MEDIEVAL BAMGTS WE FOUGHT HAND
TO HAND INCH BY INDIANA TO
PREVENT THE VIOLENT MOB INTENT
ON SUBVERTING OUR DEMOCRATIC
PROCESS.
MY FELLOW OFFICERS AND I WERE
COMMITTED TO NOT LETTING ANY
RIOTERS BREACH THE CAPITAL
IT WAS FOR A PRO LONGED AND
DESPERATE STRUGGLE THAT RIOTERS
WERE SHOUTING TRUMP SENT US.
PICK THE RIGHT SIDE.
WE WANT TRUMP.
I VIVIDLY HEARD OFFICERS
SCREAMING IN AGONY, IN PAIN JUST
AN ARMS LENGTH FROM ME.
I DIDNT KNOW AT THAT TIME BUT
THAT WAS OFFICER HODGES.
HE IS HERE TODAY TO TESTIFY.
I TOO WAS BEING CRUSHED BY THE
RIOTERS.
I COULD FEEL MYSELF LOSING
OXYGEN AND RECALL THINKING TO
MYSELF, THIS IS HOW IM GOING TO
DIE, DEFENDING THIS ENTRANCE
MANY OF THE OFFICERS FIGHTING
ALONGSIDE ME WERE CALLING FOR
SHIELDS BECAUSE THEIR SHIELDS
HAD BEEN STRIPPED FROM THEM BY
THE RIOTERS.
I WAS ONE OF THE FEW OFFICERS
LEFT WITH A SHIELD
SO I SPENT THE MAJORITY OF MY
TIME AT THE FRONT OF THE LINE. I LATER FIND OUT THAT MY WIFE
I LATER FIND OUT THAT MY WIFE AND RELATIVES WERE HERE IN THE
AND RELATIVES WERE HERE IN THE
U.S. AND ABROAD WERE FRANTICALLY
CALLING ME AND TEXTING ME FROM
2:00 P.M. ONWARD
BECAUSE THEY WERE WATCHING THE
TURMOIL ON TELEVISION.
IT WAS NOW 4 KOOV 26 P.M
AFTER GIVING CPR TO ONE OF THE
RIOTERS WHO BREACHED THE CAPITOL
IN AN EFFORT TO SAVE HER LIFE
THAT I HAD A CHANCE TO LET MY
FAMILY KNOW THAT I WAS ALIVE
AFTER ORDER HAD FINALLY -- HAD
BEEN RESTORED AT THE CAPITOL AND
MANY HOURS I ARRIVED AT HOME AT
NEARLY 4:00 A.M. ON JANUARY 7th.
I HAD TO PUSH MY WIFE AWAY FROM
ME BECAUSE SHE WANTED TO HUG ME.
AND I TOLD HER, NO, BECAUSE OF ALL THE CHEMICAL THAT MY UNIFORM
ALL THE CHEMICAL THAT MY UNIFORM
HAD ON
IM SORRY.
I COULDNT SLEEP BECAUSE THE
CHEMICAL REACTIVATED AFTER I
TOOK A SHOWER.
AND MY SKIN WAS BURNING.
I FINALLY FELL ASLEEP TWO HOURS
LATER, COMPLETELY PHYSICALLY AND
MENTALLY EXHAUSTED
YET BY 8:00 A.M. I WAS ALREADY
ON MY WAY BACK TO THE CAPITOL.
AND I CONTINUED TO WORK FOR 15
CONSECUTIVE DAYS AFTER THE
INAUGURATION
I MADE SURE TO WORK DESPITE MY
INJURIES BECAUSE I WANTED TO
CONTINUE DOING MY JOB AND HELP
SECURE THE CAPITOL COMPLEX
MORE THAN SIX MONTHS LATER IM
STILL TRYING TO RECOVER FROM MY
INJURIES
MANY OF MY FELLOW CAPITOL
OFFICERS AS WELL AS MPD OFFICERS
SUFFERED SEVERAL PHYSICAL
INJURIES FROM THE VIOLENCE
INFLICTED ON US ON JANUARY 6th
I SUSTAINED INJURIES ON BOTH MY
HANDS MY LEFT SHOULDER, MY LEFT
CALF AND RIGHT FOOT.
I ALREADY HAVE UNDERGONE BONE
FUSION SURGERY ON MY RIGHT FOOT
AND I WAS JUST TOLD I NEED
SURGERY ON MY LEFT SHOULDER.
I HAVE BEEN ON MEDICAL AND
ADMINISTRATIVE PLEEV FOR THE
PAST SIX MONTHS AND EXPECT TO
NEED REHABILITATION FOR POSSIBLY
MORE THAN A YEAR
THERE ARE SOME EXPRESSING
OUTRAGE WHEN SOMEONE KNEELS WHEN
CALLING FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE
WHERE ARE THE SAME PEOPLE
EXPRESSING THE OUTRAGE TO
CONDEMN THE VIOLENT ATTACK ON
LAW ENFORCEMENT AT THE CAPITOL
IN OUR AMERICAN DEMOCRACY?
IM STILL WAITING FOR THEM
AS AMERICANS AND THE WORLD WATCH
IN HORROR WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN
THE CAPITOL, WE DID NOT RECEIVE
TIMELY REINFORCEMENT AND SUPPORT
WE NEEDED.
IN CONTRAST DURING THE BLACK
LIVES MATTER PROTEST LAST YEAR
U.S. CAPITOL POLICE HAD ALL THE
SUPPORT WE NEEDED AND MORE
WHY THE DIFFERENT RESPONSE WERE
IT NOT FOR THE BRAVE MEMBERS OF
THE MPD AND OTHER LAW
ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES IM AFRAID
TO THINK WHAT COULD HAVE
HAPPENED ON JANUARY 6th.
I WANT TO PUBLICLY THANK ALL THE
LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES THAT
RESPONDED TO ASSIST THAT DAY FOR
THEIR KURNG AND THEIR SUPPORT.
I ESPECIALLY WANT TO THANK THOSE
CAPITOL POLICE OFFICER WHO
RESPONDED ON THEIR OWN FROM HOME
AFTER WORKING MIDNIGHT SHIFT
DESPITE BEING OUTNUMBERED WE DID
OUR JOB.
EVERY MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES, SENATORS AND
STAFF MEMBERS MADE IT HOME
SADLY, AS A RESULT OF THAT DAY
WE LOST OFFICERS, SOME REALLY
GOOD OFFICERS BUT WE HELD THE
LINE TO PROTECT OUR DEMOCRATIC
PROCESS, BECAUSE THE ALTERNATIVE
WOULD HAVE BEEN A DISASTER
WE ARE NOT ASKING FOR MEDALS,
RECOGNITION, WE SIMPLY WANT
JUSTICE AND ACCOUNTABILITY
FOR MOST PEOPLE JANUARY 6th
HAPPENED FOR A FEW HOURS
FOR THOSE OF US WHO WERE IN THE
THICK OF IT, IT HAS NOT ENDED.
THAT DAY CONTINUED TO BE A
CONSTANT TRAUMA FOR US LITERALLY
EVERY DAY, WHETHER BECAUSE OUR
PHYSICAL OR EMOTIONAL INJURIES
OR BOTH, WHAT HAS NOW RECEIVED
MUCH ATTENTION SADLY MANY OF MY
COLLEAGUES HAVE QUIETLY RESIGNED
FROM THE CAPITOL BECAUSE OF THAT
DAY.
IM ALSO REGULARLY CALLED BY LAW
ENFORCEMENT OBERLES AND
PROSECUTORS TO HELP IDENTIFY
FROM PHOTOGRAPHS AND VIDEOS THE
RIOTERS.
AND TO BE HONEST, PHYSICAL
THERAPY IS PAINFUL AND HARD.
I COULD HAVE LOST MY LIFE THAT
DAY.
NOT ONCE, BUT MANY TIMES
BUT AS SOON AS I RECOVER FROM MY
INJURIES, I WILL CONTINUE
FORWARD AND PROUDLY SERVE MY
COUNTRY IN THE U.S. CAPITOL
POLICE
AS AN IMMIGRANT TO THE UNITED
STATES, IM ESPECIALLY PROUD TO
HAVE DEFENDED THE U.S.
CONSTITUTION AND OUR DEMOCRACY
ON JANUARY 6th
I HOPE THAT EVERYONE IN THE
POSITION OF AUTHORITY IN OUR
COUNTRY HAS THE COURAGE AND
CONVICTION TO DO THEIR PART BY
INVESTIGATING WHAT HAPPENED ON
THAT TERRIBLE DAY AND WHY.
THIS INVESTIGATION IS ESSENTIAL