Mother of Ashli Babbitt arrested at demonstration marking anniversary of Capitol attack

WASHINGTON — The mother of Ashli Babbitt, the woman fatally shot by police inside the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot, was arrested in Washington on Friday after refusing to get out of the street during a demonstration on the two-year anniversary, police said.

Micki Witthoeft, 58, was accused of traffic violations, Capitol Police said in an emailed statement. She was released Friday afternoon and given a citation to appear in court at a later date, police said.

Witthoeft and others were walking on a street near the Capitol when police, who had formed a line to keep them from going farther, directed them to get out of the road, officials said.

Video shared on social media shows police repeatedly warning the group to move to the sidewalk or be arrested. Witthoeft then turned around with her hands behind her back and was taken into custody.

The group did not have a permit to demonstrate on Capitol grounds, according to police.

Babbitt, 35, was fatally shot while attempting to climb through the broken window of a barricaded door leading to the Speaker’s Lobby inside the Capitol. Police there were evacuating members of Congress from the mob supporting then-President Donald Trump’s false claim that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia cleared the Capitol police officer who shot her of wrongdoing, concluding that he acted in self-defense and in the defense of members of Congress. The Capitol Police also cleared the officer.

Contact information for Witthoeft could not immediately be located Friday, and it wasn’t clear if she had an attorney to speak on her behalf. A phone message was left at a number listed for Babbitt’s brother.

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