Jonathan G. Mellis, 35, of Williamsburg, pleaded guilty in D.C. to assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers using a dangerous weapon, a felony.
According to court documents, during the insurrection at the US Capitol on Jan. 6, uniformed members of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia (MPD) arrived at the scene to assist US Capitol police in "restoring order."
Body-worn camera footage from MPD officers reviewed after the incident show an individual, later identified as Mellis, along with others, using sticks and other items as weapons to assault law enforcement officers protecting an entrance to the Capitol.
Court documents state that Mellis "unlawfully entered the Capitol grounds."
While there, Mellis recorded and posted videos to Instagram in which he stated, "We ain't f—king leaving either! We ain't f—king leaving!" and "So you ever wonder where they do the inaugurations? I beat Joe Biden here. That motherf——r will never come up here. We're banging on the goddamn doors, is what we're doing. Storming the f—king castle."
Other video footage of the incident reviewed show Mellis repeatedly striking and making stabbing motions towards the officers with the large wooden stick in hand, according to court records.
Mellis can also be seen attempting to strike at the officers' necks, between their helmets and body armor, says the US Department of Justice.
Mellis was later identified due to tips received from the public and his public social media profiles.
Law enforcement officers reviewed Mellis' public social media profiles and observed photos posted that matched his description in the video footage, according to the US Department of Justice.
In one social media post, Mellis wrote, “Storming the Castle. The world heard us!!! Finally not ignored. (Antifa and BLM will burn your city down for Marxism. We storm THE SWAMP for FREEDOM. We want a forensic audit of the vote. Simple. We will not go away. We will not surrender.”
The charge of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers using a dangerous weapons caries a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, as well as financial penalties.
Us District Court Judge Randolph D. Moss scheduled a sentencing hearing for Sept. 13.
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