A Capitol building rioter captured in news photographs wearing full body armor and brandishing zip tie handcuffs on the floor of the Senate has been identified as a retired Air Force officer.
Larry Rendall Brock Jr., who wore a Kevlar helmet and military patches on his flak jacket during Wednesday's U.S. Capitol siege by pro-Trump demonstrators, retired from the Air Force Reserve in 2014 as a lieutenant colonel, Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek told Military.com.
"As a private citizen, we no longer have jurisdiction over him," she added.
Queries about Brock's military record and awards did not receive an immediate response.
The news about Brock's Air Force affiliation was broken by Ronan Farrow of the New Yorker Saturday.
Farrow, who spoke with Brock and confirmed his participation in the riot, reported that Brock told him he had found the handcuffs on the floor and picked them up, then regretted it; and that he denied entering House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office suite, despite video that appeared to show him emerging from there.
Citing a since-deleted LinkedIn profile and information provided by Brock, the New Yorker story reported he had graduated from the Air Force academy; deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan; and received awards including six Air Medals and three Aerial Achievement medals.
The story also notes Brock sported a patch with the insignia of the 706th fighter squadron out of Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, where Brock claimed he served as a flight commander.
Farrow spoke with another Air Force veteran, Bill Leake, who flew with Brock, but said he had since distanced himself because Brock had "gotten extreme."
In the Capitol break-in, which lasted several hours, a mob carrying flags and banners supporting President Donald Trump overwhelmed police and forced lawmakers and staff to shelter in place. They broke into offices, most notably that of Pelosi, a California Democrat; broke furniture; and took pictures of themselves on the floor of the House and Senate chambers.
Trump, who initially posted a message telling the mob to go home but also calling its members "very special," later condemned the riot more forcefully.
While law enforcement officers have arrested dozens for participation in the siege, it’s not clear if Brock has been apprehended to date.
Brock is the latest, and most senior, of the Capitol rioters reported to have military ties.
Ashli Babbitt, the 35-year-old woman fatally shot by Capitol police after attempting to climb through a broken door frame in an apparent effort to get inside the Speaker's Lobby, has also been as a veteran who served in the active-duty Air Force, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve a total of 14 years, departing in 2016 at the relatively junior rank of senior airman.
And a Capitol police officer killed in the siege also had Air Force ties. Brian Sicknick, who died Thursday from injuries sustained while on duty that day, had served six years in the New Jersey Air National Guard, deploying to Saudi Arabia and Kyrgyzstan before leaving the service in 2003.
-- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck.
