Capitol rioter Ryan Samsel says prison guards zip-tied his hands, 'beat him to bloody pulp' causing seizures
A man accused of assaulting a police officer at the Capitol during the January 6 insurrection has alleged that two guards at the DC Central Detention Facility "beat him to a bloody pulp" last month - breaking his nose, dislocating his jaw, and leaving him suffering seizures. Ryan Stephen Samsel from Bristol, Bucks County, has been pressed with federal charges for allegedly getting involved in a violent fight with a police officer during the Capitol riots.
The 37-year-old was taken into custody in late January and was slapped with various charges, including forcibly assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, intimidating, or interfering with a federal agent, according to federal court documents. Samsel has been accused of using a barricade to push an officer outside the Capitol to the ground, knocking her unconscious. Samsel then allegedly helped the officer back up and said, “We don’t have to hurt you. Why are you standing in our way?” She later collapsed while arresting another rioter and went to an emergency room, where she was told she suffered a concussion. Later, according to court records, Samsel attempted to take a riot shield from an officer.
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Steven Metcalf, Samsel’s attorney, detailed the allegations of violence against his client in an interview on Tuesday, saying he has been told the incident is under investigation by the jail and federal authorities. “This is unjustified, and the way that these guys are being treated is completely unreasonable, it’s wholly unconstitutional,” Metcalf, said. “It doesn’t matter what these guys are being charged with. All of these guys are still pretrial detention; they have not been convicted of any crimes. And this is what they’ve been forced to endure.”
As per the Washington Post, the DC Department of Corrections has said the jail “takes the safety and well-being of all residents, staff, and contractors extremely seriously. We are aware of the allegation made by an inmate and it is under investigation by the Department of Justice.” Lira Gallagher, a spokeswoman for the FBI’s Washington Field Office, told the Post that the bureau “is aware of the allegations; however, as a matter of policy, we can neither confirm nor deny the existence of an investigation.”
What happened to Samsel?
The incident allegedly began the afternoon of March 20 when Samsel complained that the guards had taken hours to get him toilet paper. An argument ensued. That evening, Samsel was allegedly moved to another cell. Around midnight, Samsel alleged that two guards came to that cell, restrained Samsel’s arms behind his back with zip-tie handcuffs, and “beat him to a bloody pulp.”
Samsel supposedly did not regain consciousness until the next day and has since suffered seizures for the first time in his life. His nose was allegedly broken, his jaw dislocated and his vision in one eye damaged. Metcalf said he saw Samsel by video two weeks later, and his client’s face was still black and blue and the skin around his wrists stripped off.
Metcalf also said that other inmates at the prison told him guards have brought up Samsel’s alleged beating as an example of what will happen to them if they cause trouble. “They don’t like what they’ve done, they don’t like how they’ve questioned what’s going on, they don’t like how they’ve complained about their conditions,” he said. “Regardless of what you’re incarcerated for . . . you need to be treated like a human, and that’s not happening here.”