2 Lowcountry men arrested on felony and misdemeanor charges for actions during Jan. 6 Capitol breach

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Two men from the Lowcountry were Wednesday arrested on felony and misdemeanor charges connected to the January 6, 2021, breach at the U.S. Capitol.

Christopher Rockey, 54, of Cross, and Edward Picquet, Jr., 61, of Hollywood were identified using cellphone location data and security camera footage from the day of that riot in the Nation’s capital.

According to court documents, the men were seen entering the building through the Senate wing doors shortly before 2:30 p.m., in the Rotunda, and later observed among a crowd of rioters moving toward the House Chamber and confronting a line of police officers.

As the crowd pushed through the police line, officials said both Rockey and Picquet continued walking through the building and eventually exited via the East Front Doors around 2:44 p.m.

Once outside the Capitol building, the pair joined a crowd of rioters on the Northside Upper Terrace.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia said video footage also shows Rockey pushing and grabbing a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer’s riot shield and striking the officer in the face as law enforcement attempted to clear the area. 

Picquet is then seen moving up to the front of the crowd of rioters, placing his hands on the back of Rockey, grabbing his sweatshirt, and pushing him forward directly into the line of officers.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, documents revealed that while staying on the Upper Terrace and, in a separate incident, Rockey grabbed an MPD officer’s baton and another officer’s riot shield.

Rockey is facing felony charges including assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers and civil disorder along with several misdemeanor charges.

Picquet is facing one felony count of civil and various misdemeanor charges.

This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section, the FBI’s Columbia and Washington Field Offices, which identified Rockey as BOLO (Be on the Lookout) #500 on its seeking information photos.