Married Seattle cops who pushed past police barriers during Capitol riots are fired eight months later after 'lying to investigators and claiming they left before scenes turned violent'

  • The Seattle Police Department announced Friday that Caitlin and Alexander Everett had been fired for their involvement in the January 6 insurrection
  • The couple were found to have broken the law by trespassing on the Capitol grounds, and were in violation of department policy
  • They claimed in disciplinary reports that they were standing 30 to 50 yards away from the building and had not noticed any violence 
  • Images provided by the FBI to the department, however, showed them much closer to the building than they had told investigators
  • Investigators also said they struggled to believe the couple did not know the event had turned violent
  • Six Seattle police officers were found to have taken part in the Capitol riots that day, but the Everetts have been the only ones disciplined

Two cops have been fired from the Seattle Police Department after it was revealed they lied to investigators about their participation in the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol.  

Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz announced the firings of married officers Caitlin and Alexander Everett on Friday. 

He said the belated decision came after the department was recently made aware that the Everetts had trespassed on Capitol grounds and were standing past the barriers set up by Capitol Police on the day of the riot.

'It is beyond absurd to suggest that they did not know they were in an area where they should not be, amidst what was already a violent, criminal riot,' Diaz said in a statement.

Diaz also called the officers' presence at the Capitol that day as 'an attack on our profession and on every officer across the country.'

Department investigators also say the Everetts lied to them about the extent of their involvement in the insurrection.  

Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz (pictured) announced Friday that married officers Caitlin and Alexander Everett were fired after it was found that they had trespassed on capitol grounds during the January 6 riot in Washington DC, and that they had lied to investigators

Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz (pictured) announced Friday that married officers Caitlin and Alexander Everett were fired after it was found that they had trespassed on capitol grounds during the January 6 riot in Washington DC, and that they had lied to investigators 

The officers, in a disciplinary report released by Seattle's Office of Police Accountability, said that they arrived on the grounds at around 2.30pm, and that they stayed on the grass 30 to 50 yards away from the Capitol building.

The Everetts also told investigators that they had no idea the incident had turned violent.

It had been declared a riot shortly before 2pm, and FBI photographs provided to the department showed them 'directly next to' the Capitol building. 

'Nearby, and within your line of vision, numerous people were scaling a stone wall to the Capital steps, climbing the scaffolding, and crowds were surrounding the building,' the report said.

'It defies belief that you could think this situation was "peaceful" or that you were not on notice that you were trespassing,' the investigators added.  

It's not known if the officers are under criminal investigation by federal authorities for their actions.

The Everetts said they had stayed 30 to 50 yards away from the capitol building on January 6, and had not noticed any violence, but images provided to the department by the FBI showed them much closer to the building than they had told investigators

The Everetts said they had stayed 30 to 50 yards away from the capitol building on January 6, and had not noticed any violence, but images provided to the department by the FBI showed them much closer to the building than they had told investigators

The Everetts were among six Seattle officers in the nation's capital for President Donald Trump's 'Stop the Steal' rally.

The couple's trip became public after Caitlin Everett posted a photo on Facebook of her and Alexander Everett at the demonstration. 

Four other officers later admitted they were also there but said they were not involved in the riot.

They have not faced disciplinary action.  

Mike Solan, president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild, said that the case against the officers was political. 

'I believe that the case file in and of itself has glaring holes in it,' he told Fox News, noting the officers said they had left the area near the riot without witnessing any wrongdoing. 

Mike Solan, president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild, said that the case against the officers was political, and that the union would support them should they appeal their firing

Mike Solan, president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild, said that the case against the officers was political, and that the union would support them should they appeal their firing

'I believe just after 2pm, that's when a lot of the criminality was occurring inside the Capitol. There was really nothing occurring outside in terms of criminality or law enforcement officers being assaulted.'

Solan said his union would defend the couple should they appeal the ruling.  

Friday marked the first time that the Everetts have been named. The police department has not named the other four officers.

The Washington Supreme Court announced Thursday that it would hear a lawsuit filed by the officers against people who filed public records requests seeking to disclose their identities.

Last month's investigation by Seattle's Office of Police Accountability found that the Everetts violated the law by trespassing at the U.S. Capitol while rioters stormed the building.  

According to a disciplinary Seattle's Office of Police Accountability, investigators said they had a hard time believing the couple did not know they were trespassing or that the incident had turned violent

According to a disciplinary Seattle's Office of Police Accountability, investigators said they had a hard time believing the couple did not know they were trespassing or that the incident had turned violent  

Diaz said the Everetts' presence there was unacceptable: 'More than a hundred officers sustained serious injuries - some career-ending - through outright assault,'

He added: 'Hundreds more, across all agencies called to respond, bear the physical and emotional scars of that day. The participation of these two officers in that crowd is a stain on our department, and on the men and women who work every day to protect our community, serve those in need, and do so with compassion and dignity.'

Both officers came to Seattle after working with police departments in Texas.

The officers worked together at the Dallas Police Department as patrol officers before they were married, according to police reports released through a public records request.

Alexander Everett graduated from the University of North Texas with a Bachelor's Degree in criminal justice in 2008 and worked in Dallas for four years before taking a job as an officer in Round Rock, Texas. 

He also worked for the U.S. Air Marshals for more than 22 years, the records said.

Caitlin Everett worked for the Dallas police for four years under her maiden name Caitlin Rochelle, the records said.

It was not immediately know if the Everetts have a lawyer. 

The attorneys representing them and the four other Seattle officers in the public records case withdrew from the case after the accountability office investigation was completed last month.0

In the department's disciplinary report (pictured), investigators said they struggled to believe the couple did not know the protests had turned violent

In the department's disciplinary report (pictured), investigators said they struggled to believe the couple did not know the protests had turned violent  

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