Latest Chicago man charged in Jan. 6 attack accused of ramming US Capitol door, lunging at officers

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Federal investigators said James "Mac" McNamara is accused of lunging at DC Metro Police with his fist, with the attack captured on a DC officer's body-worn camera.

McNamara, 61, is also said to have picked up a metal bike rack and repeatedly rammed the Capitol doors, according to federal charging documents. The Chicago man is free on bond as prosecutors and his attorneys have filed new court documents aimed at securing the reams of records accumulated in the Jan. 6 investigation.

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As the violent throng broke through doors and windows at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, authorities said McNamara is seen on video "engaging with law enforcement officers" and, at one point, allegedly picking up a metal bicycle rack and using it as a battering ram on a Capitol door.

Authorities said McNamara is spotted "lunging forward and swinging his arms near a group of law enforcement officers." As seen in a picture from the federal court file, as McNamara appears to enter the building, his advance is stopped by officers using pepper spray and shooting rubber bullets "to repel" the Chicago man.

Two minutes after being targeted with police rubber bullets and pepper spray, authorities said McNamara was pictured fighting on, with his fist clenched and lunging toward officers.

McNamara, arrested in Chicago on Nov. 30, has been charged with several felonies as a result of the alleged violence. His charges are described in documents filed by the U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C., who has charged nearly 900 people from all 50 states with Jan. 6 crimes.

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As the Jan. 6 cases continue to pile up, McNamara is among those who have been depicted on websites that feature unknown individuals isolated during Capitol Hill violence and then tracked and matched using social media, including one that appears to be McNamara posing with a water heater on behalf of a repair company.

Attempts by the ABC7 I-Team to reach the attorney representing McNamara were unsuccessful.