Body camera video shows moments 'Pizzagate' shooter arrested
WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - Body-worn camera video obtained by the media outlet Reveal shows the tense moments Metropolitan Police Officers arrested and questioned the man convicted of firing a shot inside Comet Ping Pong while he investigated the debunked "Pizzagate" conspiracy theory.
Reveal is a project of the Center for Investigative Reporting. It obtained the video via a Freedom of Information Act request, which Reveal says took MPD more than a year to furnish.
The video shows the December 4, 2016, arrest of Edgar Maddison Welch, who admitted to driving from North Carolina then firing a shot inside the Northwest D.C. pizza shop to try and get to the bottom of the conspiracy theory that Democrats were operating a child sex ring inside the restaurant.
Welch is seen admitting to officers that he has multiple weapons with him, including an AR-15, handgun and pocket knife. He is pinned down and handcuffed.
Later in the video, which is made up of multiple clips, police are seen questioning Welch who appears to be free of the handcuffs. It is unclear why police removed Welch's handcuffs at the crime scene.
MPD did not answer FOX 5's questions about whether or not that is consistent with protocol.
Welch pleaded guilty in March 2017 and was sentenced to four years in prison in June of that year.