1st US active-duty service member charged over Jan 6 Capitol riot

WASHINGTON -- A US Marine Corps officer was arrested on Thursday and charged with assaulting police officers at the Jan 6 Capitol attack which left five people dead, making him the first active-duty service member charged for his role in the riot, according to the Justice Department.

Major Christopher Warnagiris, 40, is accused of forcing his way inside the Capitol by pushing through a line of officers guarding the building's East Rotunda doors. Video footage showed Warnagiris keeping the door open for others to get in and later pushing a Capitol Police officer who tried to close it, the Justice Department said.

Warnagiris, stationed at the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Virginia, before the arrest, is facing several charges, including assaulting, resisting or impeding officers, obstruction of law enforcement, and obstruction of justice, according to a USA Today report.

The Justice Department has so far charged about 440 people in connection to the Capitol breach and the numbers are expected to grow, said the report.