MAGA rioter arrested after boasting to acquaintance of being just feet away from Ashli Babbitt before she was shot

Michael Eckerman of Wichita was arrested Monday by the FBI for shoving a police officer down a stairway after being among the first to breach the Capitol during the January 6 insurrection.

But the 37-year-old Eckerman's claim to fame, such that it is, will likely be that he was in the room when an officer shot Ashli Babbitt as she tried to climb through a broken window to gain access to the House chambers.

The FBI report states that video evidence captures Eckerman "near the back entrance to the House Chamber, where Ashli Babbitt was shot by a law enforcement officer as she attempted to climb through one of the doors where glass was broken out to access the House Chamber. Just after the shooting, video captures Eckerman and his companions exiting the Capitol through the upper House doors at approximately 2:44."

Afterward, Eckerman was not shy about what he saw in talking with an interviewer at a source identified as "FreedomNews.tv," according to the report.

"I don't know her (Babbitt's) name, all I know is we went there as patriots. She is dead because we're here. These mother fuckers are traitors, they are fucking traitors!" he shouted.

The FBI also stated that companions of Eckerman can be seen pulling him away from the camera.

One of two witnesses who reported Eckerman to the FBI said he was told by Eckerman that he was just several feet away from Babbitt when she was killed.

Eckerman is accused by an officer of having "made his way to the front of the crowd and pushed (the officer) with aggressive force. The push caused Officer K.Y. to lose his balance and fall down a small set of stairs. After being knocked to the ground, Officer K.Y. was sprayed in the face with a fire extinguisher by an unknown individual."

Eckerman also posed in front of a portrait of George Washington in the Capitol wearing a load bearing tactical vest and red Trump hat, the FBI stated. One of the witnesses who tipped off the bureau stated they were able to identify him after he shared that photo with friends.

Eckerman was charged with "assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers" along with a variety of illegal entry and disorderly conduct charges. You can read the FBI report here.