Charges Dropped Against Mother of Ashli Babbitt

Prosecutors dropped charges against the mother of Ashli Babbitt, who died in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Micki Witthoeft was arrested for blocking traffic on Capitol grounds three weeks ago during a demonstration marking the two-year anniversary of the event. A statement from the Capitol Police said Witthoeft, 58, did "not have a permit to demonstrate on Capitol Grounds" and that she asked to be arrested.

Gabriel Shoglow-Rubenstein, a spokesperson for the Office of the D.C. Attorney General, said the office declined to pursue the case against Witthoeft.

Babbitt, who was part of the group that entered the Capitol, was shot and killed by a member of the Capitol Police just outside the House chamber on Jan. 6, 2021.

The Capitol Police Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) "determined the officer's conduct was lawful and within Department policy, which says an officer may use deadly force only when the officer reasonably believes that action is in the defense of human life, including the officer's own life, or in the defense of any person in immediate danger of serious physical injury."

• Capitol Officer Who Shot Ashli Babbitt Housed Six Months at Air Force Base
• Aaron Babbitt to Newsmax: 'Still Feels the Same' a Year After Ashli's Death