5 Tampa-area residents face charges of police assault during Capitol riot

The Department of Justice unveiled a major indictment Thursday against five Tampa Bay-area residents accused of assaulting police officers during the U.S. Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6, CNN reports.

• The assailants repeatedly attacked the police guarding the building using stolen riot shields and flagpoles, bashing the cops in the head and neck, and later resorted to punching, kicking and elbowing the officers, according to the complaint.

The big picture: The five, accused of leading the charge during the insurrection, face 19 criminal counts, among the most for a Capitol riot case.

Arrested were:

• Michael Perkins, of Plant City, a former Polk County EMT.
• Christopher Doolin, of Plant City.
• Jonathan and Olivia Pollock, of Lakeland.
• Joseph Hutchinson, of Lakeland.

The big picture: The indictments highlight the violence police faced at the hands of the pro-Trump mob, and the role of Tampa Bay residents.

• That might be one reason the U.S. Capitol Police announced this week that they're opening a field office in Tampa to protect members of Congress against threats.

Yes, but: Many of former President Trump's allies have tried to downplay the violence.

• In fact, Florida Republicans are hosting a "Free Our Patriots" rally tomorrow in Tallahassee to demand that arrested insurrectionists be freed.

The state we're in: Florida has the most insurrection defendants of any state in the country, with 62 in total, followed by Pennsylvania and Texas.