Anthony Mastanduno, a North Carolina man, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to nine charges related to the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, including a charge of assaulting police officers.
The U.S. Attorney‘s Office for D.C. announced that Mastanduno pleaded guilty to six felonies, including two counts of assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers with a deadly and dangerous weapon, engaging in violence with a deadly weapon, and civil disorder. He also pleaded guilty to three misdemeanor charges, including disorderly conduct in a Capitol building.
According to the press release, Mastanduno entered the Capitol just after 2:15 p.m. on Jan. 6 and then went to the Lower West Terrace around 2:38 p.m.
At approximately 4:30 p.m., he began engaging with fellow rioters and participated in coordinated attacks on uniformed police who were defending the Tunnel.
Rioter Admits Guilt in Assaulting Capitol Officers (Credits: NBC News)
During the attack, Mastanduno threw a “flagpole-like object” toward a line of police officers at the entrance of the Tunnel, resembling a javelin or a spear.
He also took a police shield that was stolen from officers and used it to push against the line of law enforcement officers at the tunnel’s entrance.
While pushing against the line, Mastanduno used a telescoping baton to strike at police officers multiple times, aiming for their hands and arms. He left the Capitol around 4:45 p.m. after being sprayed with a chemical irritant.
Mastanduno was arrested on Aug. 23 in North Carolina and will be sentenced by District Judge Tanya Chutkan on June 27. The U.S. Attorney’s Office noted that more than 1,358 individuals have been charged across nearly all 50 states regarding the Jan. 6 insurrection.
