Justice Dept. Charges Two Men in Jan. 6 Assault on Times Photographer

The Justice Department on Thursday charged two men with assaulting a New York Times photographer on Jan. 6, 2021, accusing them of pushing her to the ground and stealing her camera as they participated in the storming of the Capitol.

The two men, Philip and David Walker, are brothers who authorities say were part of the mob that breached security around the Capitol that day and pushed their way into the building as members of Congress gathered to certify the results of the 2020 election.

In a criminal complaint filed on Thursday, the F.B.I. said the Times photographer was “assaulted at the top of the East Rotunda stairs, inside the Capitol.” The complaint added that “the individuals identified as Philip Walker and David Walker then ran down the staircase” with the photographer’s camera, which they later disposed of.

The pair were charged with theft of the camera, assault with the intent to commit a felony and entering the Capitol unlawfully. Philip Walker was also charged with destroying personal property, according to the complaint.

Federal authorities did not name the Times photographer in the complaint. But she is Erin Schaff, who was in the Capitol that day on assignment. She described the events in an article she wrote for the newspaper the next day.

“The mob massed together and rushed the officer, forcing open the door, and people flooded in,” Ms. Schaff wrote. “I ran upstairs to be out of the way of the crowd, and to get a better vantage point to document what was happening. Suddenly, two or three men in black surrounded me and demanded to know who I worked for.”