Recently unearthed footage suggests Capitol Police officer lied about Jan 6 injuries

Recently unearthed footage suggests that Capitol Police Officer Aquilino Gonell may not have been telling the truth about the wounds he sustained on January 6. 

The video, which focuses on paramedics' efforts to resuscitate rioter Rosanne Boyland, shows Gonell going about his business with no sign of serious injuries.  

The clip begins around 4:50 pm, about 30 minutes after Boyland was first reported to have collapsed amongst the crowd of hundreds gunning for the entrance to the building. 

The camera, pointing towards a door in the House wing of the Capitol, captures Gonell entering the scene ahead of paramedics and remaining on the periphery while they get to work performing CPR.

Throughout the seven-minute-long clip, he communicates with others via his handheld radio and cell phone, and occasionally checks in on the emergency medical service's efforts.

At the time the footage was recorded, the most violent parts of the riot had already taken place. Gonell testified to the January 6 Committee in July 2021 that he had informed his family that he was alive around 4:30 pm.

During the hearings, Gonell explained that January 6 felt like a "medieval battleground," and recalled his experience.
 

"I fell on top of some police shields on the ground that were slippery because of the pepper and bear spray," he said. "Rioters started to pull me by my leg, by my shield and by my gear straps on my left shoulder. My survival instincts kicked in, and I started kicking and punching as I tried in vain to get the MPD officers' attention behind and above me. But they could not help me because they were also being attacked."

Gonell claimed during the hearings and in numerous media interviews that he had sustained injuries to his shoulder and foot, both of which required surgery. Images from the surgery were shown by CNN.



During a trial for Kyle Fitzsimons, who was sentenced to over seven years in prison for assaulting officers on January 6, prosecutors referred to Gonell's shoulder injury as "career-ending and life-altering." 

Gonell resigned from the force in December 2022, citing "permanent" medical conditions and trauma sustained that day.