The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) arrested 27-year-old freelance photographer Patrick Gorski in Chicago last Thursday, November 21, for his alleged participation in storming the Capitol on January 6, 2021. During his initial court appearance, Gorski was charged with obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder, which is a felony, and four misdemeanor offenses pertaining to his alleged actions and behavior in a restricted building and grounds.
The January 6 attack on the United States Capitol in Washington, DC, saw the deaths of five people and multiple injuries after President-elect Donald Trump incited mobs to join the insurrection and spread false claims of election fraud.
The recently unsealed criminal complaint against Gorski refers to an in-person interview conducted by the FBI in May 2022 after receiving several tips. During the interview, Gorski said that he was not working as a photojournalist during the Capitol riot and that he was a photographer for the Chicago Fire Department and had done some work for Trump’s presidential campaign in 2020.
Gorski specialized in photographing sporting events and provided his snapshots to Getty Images, the Associated Press (which denied that Gorski was ever employed with them, only confirming that his photos have been used and distributed), and USA Today. Per his LinkedIn and personal website, Gorski has worked as a freelance professional photographer for over a decade with clients including the Chicago Cubs, Chicago Fire, the Chicago Tribune, and St. Paul’s Pioneer Press, among others.
Though Gorski told the FBI he was not working as a photojournalist during the insurrection (and he was confirmed to not have any press credentials for the Capitol that day), he admitted to taking at least 200 photos between January 5 and January 7, 2021, on his cell phone while in Washington.
The criminal complaint identified him in 23 photos from the so-called “Stop the Steal” rally at the Ellipse, the march toward the Capitol, and the subsequent riot, as well as three screenshots of his social media communications pertaining to being identified and reported to the FBI.
Per a release from the United States Attorney’s Office in Washington, Gorski was reported to have attended the Ellipse rally and was documented climbing over a wall on the west side of the Capitol building, taking selfies, helping other riot participants, joining a mob surrounding Capitol police officers and demanding to be let in, rushing the Inaugural stage, and displaying the US flag from a balcony.
“Around 2:42 p.m., Gorski entered the Lower West Terrace Tunnel, the site of some of the most violent attacks against law enforcement that day, where he joined others pushing against officers,” part of the release recounted. “Despite being hit with O.C. spray, Gorski continued pushing forward, yelling, ‘This is our house!’ and engaging with officers before leaving the tunnel.”
The release alleges that Gorski briefly entered the Capitol building, exited, failed to re-enter, and remained on the Capitol grounds around 6pm.
Gorski did not immediately respond to Hyperallergic’s request for comment.
