Inauguration Day rioting charge against reporter dropped, prosecutors say

Federal prosecutors announced Friday they will drop criminal charges filed against a journalist who was among the more than 200 people arrested in connection with rioting and vandalism that took place in Washington, D.C., on Inauguration Day.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District filed a notice Friday for dismissal of a felony rioting charge against Evan Engel, a journalist with Vocativ. Prosecutors said the decision to drop the charges came after consultation with Mr. Engel’s attorney as well as “a review of evidence presented to us by law enforcement.”

D.C. police corralled and arrested 230 adults and charged them with felony rioting after demonstrations in the nation’s capital turned violent on Inauguration Day. A group of individuals involved in demonstrations on Jan. 20 began breaking storefront windows, damaging other property like ATMs, and setting small fires, including to a limousine. The Guardian reported at least six of the individuals arrested with the group were reporters who were covering the demonstrations. The newspaper identified them as Mr. Engel, RT America’s Alex Rubinstein and documentary producer Jack Keller, and independent journalists Matt Hopard, Shay Horse and Aaron Cantú.

Reporters from several other outlets were also initially corralled with the group of protesters but officers allowed them to leave the area and they were not taken into custody.

A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office declined to address the fate of the charges brought against the other reporters but indicated that a review of the mass arrests is ongoing.

“We are continuing to work with the Metropolitan Police Department to review evidence related to the arrests on Jan. 20,” said spokesman Bill Miller in a written statement. “As in all of our cases, we are always willing to consider additional information that people bring forward. Because these matters remain pending in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, we have no comment on other specific individuals beyond our public filings.”

Vocativ’s editorial director Ben Reininga said the news organization was pleased to see the charges dismissed.

“Learning that one of our journalists was arrested while on assignment and faced charges carrying severe fines and jail time served as a chilling reminder that we must never take our First Amendment freedoms for granted,” he said.

In a statement issued Friday, Mr. Engel thanked his colleagues and legal team for their help but sought to draw attention to the other journalists who are still charged.

“Today, my thoughts are with any other journalists who are facing charges for doing their jobs, as well as with journalists imprisoned around the world,” Mr. Engel said.