3 Illinoisans Charged, Some Fired After Mob Assault On Capitol

ILLINOIS — Several Illinoisans were among a mob that assaulted the U.S. Capitol Wednesday, breaking windows, ransacking offices and bludgeoning a police officer to death with a fire extinguisher in an attempt to keep Donald Trump in the White House, police said. Four rioters also died in the violence, one after being shot by a police officer and another three from accidents or medical incidents.

Several of the Illinoisans accused of storming the Capitol have lost their jobs after being publically identified.

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Brad F. Rukstales, of Inverness, was arrested in connection with unlawful entry into the Capitol Building, according to a news release from Capitol Police. The Department of Justice said Friday he was charged with knowingly entering a restricted building with the intent to impede government business, engaging in disorderly conduct, and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.

Rukstales was CEO of Cogensia, a Schaumburg-based data analytics firm, until he was fired on Friday. He is one of 13 so far to face federal charges. Forty others have been charged in superior court in D.C.

"Our CEO, Brad Rukstales' participated in the recent Washington DC protests," Cogensia confirmed in a statement posted to Twitter Thursday. "Those actions were his own and not acting on behalf Cogensia nor do his actions in any way reflect the policies or values of our firm. He has been placed on leave of absence while we assess further."

A day later, the company announced Rukstales was out permanently.

"This decision was made because Rukstales' actions were inconsistent with the core values of Cognesia," the company's newly announced CEO Joel Schiltz said in a statement. "Cognesia condemns what occurred at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, and we intend to continue to embrace the values of integrity, diversity and transparency in our business operations, and expect all employees to embrace those values as well."

Rukstales told CBS News he was just "in the wrong place at the wrong time," and released his own statement Thursday night, apologizing for "the single worst personal decision of my life." He refused to answer why he went into the Capitol Building in the first place.

Read Rukstales' full statement below:

In a moment of extremely poor judgment following the Jan. 6 rally in Washington, I followed hundreds of others through an open set of doors to the Capitol building to see what was taking place inside. I was arrested for the first time in my life and charged with unlawful entry.

My decision to enter the Capitol was wrong, and I am deeply regretful to have done so. Without qualification and as a peaceful and law-abiding citizen, I condemn the violence and destruction that took place in Washington.

I offer my sincere apologies to the men and women of law enforcement for my indiscretion, and I deeply regret that my actions have brought embarrassment to my family, colleagues, friends and fellow countrymen.

It was the single worst personal decision of my life; I have no excuse for my actions and wish that I could take them back.

WGN reports Rukstales has made several high-dollar donations to President Donald Trump's political campaign.

Chicago tattoo artist David Fitzgerald, 48, was also arrested in connection with unlawful entry into the Capitol Building and a curfew violation, police said. Fitzgerald's wife told the Chicago Tribune that he was still in custody as of Thursday afternoon, when he was scheduled to be arraigned.

A third Illinois man, 23-year-old Siham Raju, was arrested in connection with a curfew violation, police said. No further information was available on him.

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Meanwhile, a real estate agent whose employer said she admitted to "storming the Capitol" has been fired. Libby Andrews denied wrongdoing and has not been charged with a crime. She was boarding a plane back to Chicago when Patch tried to reach her on Thursday.

The U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia said Thursday that additional arrests and charges — including sedition, insurrection and rioting — are possible for those that participated in Wednesday's violent protests, Reuters reported. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has suggested domestic terrorism charges.

The FBI is seeking information about other individuals who may have been part of Wednesday's failed insurrection.

“Today’s charges are just the beginning of the FBI’s ongoing efforts to hold those responsible for the criminal acts of violence and destruction that unfolded during the U.S. Capitol building breach on January 6th,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement. “To be clear, what took place that day was not First Amendment-protected activity, but rather an affront on our democracy. The FBI, along with our local, state and federal partners, is committed to ensuring that justice is served. We will continue to aggressively investigate each and every individual who chose to ignore the law and instead incite violence, destroy property, and injure others."

Tips, photos and video can be submitted at fbi.gov/USCapitol or by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324).