Who is Karol Chwiesiuk? Chicago cop wore CPD hoodie to storm Capitol: FBI
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS: Chicago cop Karol Chwiesiuk was flaunting his police hoodie when he allegedly participated in the January 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol that resulted in five deaths, including those of a police officer and an air force veteran.
The alleged detail was noted in a 19-page criminal complaint filed by federal prosecutors Friday, June 11, charging the officer with two counts of illegally entering a federal building and three counts of violent and disorderly conduct during the riot. Judge Gabriel Fuentes placed Chwiesiuk on a $15,000 bond Friday, and barred him from possessng a weapon or traveling to D.C., the Daily Beast reported.
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During a press conference on Friday, Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown reportedly said that the riot was an affront to the values of the CPD. “The fact that a Chicago police officer has been charged in that attack on American democracy makes my blood boil, makes me sick to my stomach,” Brown said, per the Associated Press. It's worth noting that Chwiesiuk is the sixth active-duty cop to be charged with attending the riot, according to a tally maintained by The Appeal.
Chwiesiuk’s attorneys told the court that he had been placed on desk duty and stripped of his police privileges. However, they argued against the idea of a third-party custodian, noting his previous awards for Police Officer of the Month and another commendation that was coming in the near future, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
Chwiesiuk was heavily invested in the outcome of the presidential election, per the complaint. Three days before the riot, he texted a friend of ten years that he was set to travel to DC on January 6 to "save the nation."
That friend reportedly urged him to "give it up," per the FBI, but Chwiesiuk told him he wasn't able to read the response because he was “busy planning how to f**k up commies.”
The FBI was able to gather GPS data of Chwiesiuk’s movements leading up to January 6. They noted how he left Chicago on January 4 and arrived in DC on January 5, where he booked a room at the Mayflower Hotel under his sister's name. According to the complaint, he allegedly went to the Capitol that night to survey the security barriers. The next day, he told his friend -- who cannot be named for legal reasons -- that he had "knocked out a commie."
Chwiesiuk continued to communicate with his friend, sending him photos of people like the Naked Cowboy and other participants, per the Daily Beast. “We inside the capital lmfao,“ he later texted, sharing a selfie that showed him in the office of Sen Jeff Merkley (D-OR) as the riots ensued. Chwiesiuk reportedly texted that same friend about a week later, asking him not to "snitch" on him.
Who is Karol Chwiesiuk?
Chwiesiuk joined the Chicago Police Department on December 17, 2018, and was most recently assigned to the 11th (Harrison) District. He is currently on desk duty as he faces federal charges in connection with the riot.
Before joining the CPD, Chwiesiuk had served for over two years as a correctional officer at the Cook County Sheriff’s office, from April 2016 to December 2018, CBS Chicago reported.
