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Man accused of punching Capitol police officer in the head during insurrection arrested in Orlando

ORLANDO, Fla. — A man who is accused of punching a U.S. Capitol police officer in the head and body before ripping the officer’s riot shield out of his hands was arrested in Orlando on Monday, federal investigators said.

The FBI said Jonathan Munafo was identified in surveillance footage as wearing a black hooded jacket during the Capitol riot. Internet sites deemed him “#boyinthehood” and last month the FBI named him as one of the top-10 most wanted Capitol violence suspects for his assault on a federal officer.

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The FBI said two people identified Munafo as the man seen in videos punching the officer and later using a flagpole to try to break windows of the Capitol.

Investigators said they also identified Munafo from a TV news interview he gave appearing to be wearing the same black hooded jacket as in the footage from the Capitol riot.

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Munafo faced a federal court judge Monday afternoon in Orlando.

Officials said the day before the insurrection, he was doing searches for Freedom Plaza, Washington, D.C.

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That same day, he is also accused of calling a county 911 center in Michigan 143 times demanding to speak to a deputy and threatening to kill the dispatcher.

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Jeff Levkulich

Jeff Levkulich, WFTV.com

Jeff Levkulich joined the Eyewitness News team as a reporter in June 2015.

Sarah Wilson

Sarah Wilson, WFTV.com

Sarah Wilson joined WFTV Channel 9 in 2018 as a digital producer after working as an award-winning newspaper reporter for nearly a decade in various communities across Central Florida.