NATION

Lancaster man arrested for Jan. 6 rioting dies

Kim Strong
York Daily Record

A Lancaster man who was on house arrest for his alleged involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021, rioting at the U.S. Capitol died over the weekend.

Michael Lopatic Sr., 58, died July 3. He had several health issues, including a benign brain tumor, diagnosed about a decade ago, as well as hearing loss, according to court documents. In an interview July 5 with NBC News, his lawyer said his cause of death is unclear at this time.

Lopatic, a married father of five, also suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, according to court documents.

A former Marine, Lopatic drove alone to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6 and became involved in the "violent mob" that dragged a Metropolitan police officer down a set of stairs at the Capitol, then assaulted him. During that incident, Lopatic stopped another police officer from intervening by climbing over a barricade, charging at him then repeatedly punching him in the head, his arrest records stated.

More on Lopatic:Arrest of suburban Lancaster dad offers insight to one type of extremist

Michael John Lopatic Sr. of Lancaster County was captured In this body camera picture, allegedly beating a police officer during the U.S. Capitol insurrection.

He was arrested on numerous charges, including assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers; civil disorder; entering and remaining in a restricted building; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building; and engaging in physical violence in a restricted building.

After President Joe Biden was elected, Lopatic posted on Facebook that the election was a "call to arms." He posted a photo of two dead pheasants that he had named "Joe and Kamala," according to court documents.

Another Pennsylvania man arrested for his involvement in the Jan. 6 rioting took his own life earlier this year. In his obituary, his family said he died of a "broken heart," awaiting trial for disorderly conduct at the Capitol.

As a few people at the Jan. 6 insurrection try to help a Metropolitan police officer from getting hurt, Michael Lopatic Sr., in the red cap, is seen taking the body camera off of the police officer. He told the court that he later disposed of that camera.

Jan. 6 arrests:The 70 people arrested for involvement in the U.S. Capitol riots

At this time, 70 people from Pennsylvania have been arrested for alleged involvement in the rioting that day, which followed a "Stop the steal" rally led by then-President Donald Trump. More than 800 people have been arrested from across the country by the FBI and U.S. Department of Justice; 86 percent of them are men. Nearly 300 people have pleaded guilty, and five have been convicted; only one person has been acquitted.

Kim Strong can be reached at kstrong@gannett.com.