Jan. 6 took his career and health, former Capitol Police sergeant says on 5-year anniversary of Capitol riot

Five years after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, a Capitol Police officer who was badly injured that day said the impact never faded, and in some ways continues to grow. Former Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell said political decisions since the attack have reopened the physical and emotional scars he still carries. “I don’t see it as a five-year mark or anniversary. I see it as a day of remembrance,” Gonell told WTOP. Gonell said the Capitol riot changed every part of his life. The physical injuries he suffered while defending the Capitol ended his law enforcement career, and the psychological trauma, he said, remains ongoing. “PTSD … it’s not a one-and-done. It’s ongoing,” he said. Gonell was on the front lines as the Capitol was overrun. He said more than 40 people assaulted him as he and fellow officers tried to hold the West Front. “I was immediately assaulted with stolen police equipment, tear gas, pepper spray, push, shove, strike,” Gonell said. He said he was also crushed in the tunnel leading to the West Front as the crowd pushed forward. “I was bleeding from both my hands, limping around, and continued to defend the Capitol as the assault was happening,” he said. Gonell said the attacks led to injuries that required two surgeries, one to his shoulder and one to his foot. He said the injuries took away his ability to continue working as a police officer, even though he wanted to return to duty. “They robbed me of my future and the way I sustained myself,” he said. The event also took a financial toll, he said, and today he relies in part on support from a GoFundMe account set up for him.

As for the emotional toll, he said that has been made worse by what he views as efforts to minimize or distort what happened that day, including the pardoning of rioters. “It’s a betrayal not only to me, but to the other officers who risked their lives defending elected officials,” he said. Supporters of pardons and commutations for some Jan. 6 defendants have argued that they were intended to address what they saw as excessive sentences. Many law enforcement groups and Democrats have strongly disagreed. Gonell said speaking publicly about Jan. 6 is part of his healing process and a way to preserve the truth of what he and fellow officers faced that day. “To me, speaking about the horrific day is a therapy,” he said. “A lot happened. And that’s what we need to remember.” He has also written a book about that day titled “American Shield: The Immigrant Sergeant Who Defended Democracy.”

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