Belarus Grants Asylum to Evan Neumann, US Capitol Riot Suspect from Mill Valley
SAN FRANCISCO (AP/CBS SF) -- A former Mill Valley resident facing federal criminal charges from the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol has been granted asylum in Belarus, the former Soviet nation's state media reported Tuesday.
Evan Neumann, a 49-year-old from Mill Valley, was indicted last December on 14 counts, including engaging in physical violence, civil disorder, along with assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers.
According to court documents, Neumann was first seen berating law enforcement attempting to protect the Capitol. He then grabbed a metal barricade and shoved it into officers and punched officers with his fist.
• ALSO READ: Criminal Complaint Against Neumann (.pdf)
Prosecutors said he and others then broke down the barricades and used a barricade as a battering ram towards the officers. Neumann eventually made his way to the Capitol building and remained in restricted grounds hours later, defying repeated orders to leave the Capitol steps.
In an interview with Belarus 1 channel that aired last year, he acknowledged being at the building that day but rejected the charges and said he did not hit any officers.
Neumann is among more than 700 people who have been charged in the riot, where supporters of former President Donald Trump attacked the Capitol, delaying Congress' certification of Joe Biden winning the 2020 presidential election.
Granting asylum to Neumann comes a month into Russia's invasion of Ukraine. U.S. President Joe Biden was heading to Europe to talk with allies about possible new sanctions against Russia and more military aid for Ukraine.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin have used the Jan. 6 riot as evidence of a double standard by the U.S. on anti-government crackdowns.
Belarus is a Russian ally and neighbor to Ukraine. It does not have an extradition agreement with the U.S.
Neumann told Belarus 1 that he traveled to Italy in March 2021 and eventually arrived in Ukraine before crossing over illegally into Belarus. He owns a handbag manufacturing business.
© Copyright 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.