A former US Marine Corps member encountered a fractured arm during an altercation while being forcibly evicted from a Senate hearing at the US Capitol amid a demonstration against the US strike on Iran.
Brian McGinnis, hailing from North Carolina, disrupted proceedings at a Senate Armed Services subcommittee hearing in the Hart Senate Office Building around 3 pm on Wednesday. Amid discussions on the heightened conflict, he stood up and exclaimed, “Israel is the cause of this war. America does not wish to engage in this war on behalf of Israel.”
Within moments, three Capitol Police officers intervened to apprehend him. Video footage captured the officers trying to extract McGinnis from the chamber as he resisted, gripping onto the door frame at one point.
Republican Senator Tim Sheehy from Montana, a committee member, also joined in to help remove McGinnis from the premises.
During the scuffle, the Marine’s arm got stuck in the doorway, resulting in a distinct crack sound as officers attempted to free him. His forearm seemed to snap under pressure against the door. Following a brief struggle, officers managed to release him. McGinnis, in response to a bystander’s inquiry about his hand, expressed, “No, it’s not okay.”
Subsequently, Capitol Police confirmed the arrest of the 44-year-old on charges of assaulting three police officers, resisting arrest, and disrupting an unlawful demonstration inside the Congressional Buildings.
According to a police statement, protests are not permitted within the Congressional Buildings and suggested alternative locations outside for demonstrations.
Reportedly, three officers sustained injuries during the incident. The suspect, who deliberately lodged his arm in a door to resist officers and re-enter the hearing room, also received medical treatment.
McGinnis, a Green Party candidate for a US Senate seat in North Carolina and a former Marine with service in Iraq, now works as a firefighter.
In a pre-hearing video, he expressed his dissent towards the Senate’s decision to deploy military personnel despite assurances of avoiding a global conflict, calling for accountability from the government.
Sheehy later characterized McGinnis as “unbalanced,” emphasizing his efforts to de-escalate the situation and hoping for the protester to seek necessary help without resorting to further violence.
Contrarily, critics have accused the senator of excessive force and causing McGinnis’s arm injury during the confrontation. Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL with deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, faced controversies in the past regarding his military background, including allegations of misrepresenting his combat injuries during his 2024 election campaign.
