Rocklin man charged in U.S. Capitol siege

A Rocklin man was charged on Jan. 22 for three violations in connection to the Jan. 6. attacks on the U.S. Capitol building, according to Washington, D.C. District Court records. On Jan. 6, a group of hundreds of rioters attacked the U.S. Capitol during a joint session of the U.S. Congress where the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives were counting the votes of the Electoral College meeting in separate rooms. At 1 p.m. Jan. 6, a group of rioters broke through police barricades. Capitol Police evacuated the House Cannon Office Building and the Congressional Library as unknown packages were found nearby, later identified as pipe bombs, according to the FBI investigators. At 2 p.m., rioters began breaking windows and forcibly entering the U.S. Capitol. Capitol Police evacuated members of the U.S. Senate, U.S. Congress, then Vice President Mike Pence to evacuate the chambers, according to the FBI. Tommy Frederick Allan, 52, of Rocklin was charged by the Washington DC District Court of trying to steal an American flag during the raid and taking documents from then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's desk. Allan was stopped by law enforcement from removing the flag but was able to get the papers out that he stashed in his back pocket, according to Washington, D.C. District Court or records. According to FBI reports, after Allan left the Capitol building, he was recorded saying, "Some people started grabbing s*** and I was like no, don't f******', don't destroy our Senate. You know, don't do that… I didn't feel good about that." According to Allan's criminal complaint, the FBI was notified of Allan's involvement by two anonymous sources people who allegedly saw photos and videos of the siege on Jan. 6 on Allan's Facebook page. The first person submitted four photos to the FBI on Jan. 9 that were allegedly taken by Allan of events before and during the siege on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, according to Washington, D.C. District Court reports. "He also shared a disturbing post that said 'the next step of the Insurrection was to get rid of Justice Roberts,'" the first person also said to the FBI, according to court records. The FBI said that the first complainant did not know Allan personally and was not friends with them on Facebook, but did see Allan's post from a post that one of the complainant friends had shared. On Jan. 15, the FBI received a second tip about photos and videos on Allan's Facebook page that allegedly placed the Rocklin resident at the riot, according to court reports. This second complainant did know Allan,according to the FBI, and said that Allan or had destroyed the documents he stole from McConnell's in his backyard once he returned to Rocklin. Videos taken by other rioters show Allan outside and inside of the U.S. Capitol waiving the documents in the air saying one was a "letter from Trump and that it was "signed by Trump," according to court records. Also, Allan allegedly told this person that he climbed a rope hanging from a wall to gain entry into the U.S. Capitol. The FBI also discovered plane tickets purchased by Allan from Sacramento to Washington D.C. on Jan. 5 and returning from Washington, D.C. to Sacramento on Jan. 7. On Jan. 22, Allen was charged with damage or theft of federal property, restricted building or grounds and violent entry or disorderly conduct. Allen was released from custody following his court appearance as the results of his case are pending and is set to return to court via a virtual setting on Jan. 29. If found guilty on all three charges, Allen could be sentenced up to 20 years and 6 months in prison. So far no other Placer County residents have been found to be in connection with the siege on the U.S. Capitol.