Federal prosecutors say Daniel Caldwell, 49, used a chemical spray against a line of police that blocked protesters from entering the Capitol. It happened amid a massive clash with the police, who used batons and pepper spray to keep the crowd away, according to images of the incident cited in the file.
Hours after the riot, Caldwell spoke about the incident in a video that was posted on the far-right social media site Parler, according to prosecutors. The clip was among hundreds of videos published later by ProPublica.
“They sprayed us with pepper spray. They continued to spray. I was like, ‘Dude, do it again and we spray you back.’ And he did. And I sprayed it back, took about 15 of them, “said Caldwell in the video.
He was charged with four crimes: assaulting federal police, obstructing law enforcement, intentionally entering a restricted building, and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. An attorney is not listed for Caldwell on the public court agenda, and he has not had a chance to file a lawsuit.
A message sent on Saturday to Caldwell’s LinkedIn profile has not been answered.
The use of chemical sprays has been the main focus of the investigation into the death of US Capitol policeman Brian Sicknick. CNN reported that prosecutors believe he was attacked with bear spray, which contributed to his death a day later. There is no known connection in court documents or anywhere else between Sicknick’s death and the charges against Caldwell.
Chemical sprays were one of the many weapons used by rioters during the January 6 uprising. According to a CNN analysis, other weapons confiscated or used inside or around the Capitol that day include firearms, a metal baseball bat, a fire extinguisher, a wooden bat, a spear, a stun gun, crutches, a flagpole, stolen police shields, a wooden beam, a hockey stick and knives.