Ohio Man Charged in Jan. 6 Capitol Riot

"Punching Holes in Democracy" – Ohio Man Charged in Jan. 6 Capitol Riot

A 48-year-old Ohio man has been charged with felony and misdemeanor counts related to his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol, officials announced today.

Clay Norris, of Canton, Ohio, was arrested in his home state and is expected to make his initial appearance later today in the Northern District of Ohio. Norris is charged with civil disorder, a felony, and misdemeanor charges of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds, and act of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings.

According to court documents, Norris was identified on the East Front of the Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, 2021, around 12:45 p.m., outside of the metal bike rack barricades marking the restricted perimeter of the U.S. Capitol. Norris was seen walking behind the barricades, chanting and yelling at officers lined up on the opposite side of the barricades and in front of the Capitol building. He could be heard chanting, “Stop the steal!”, “Whose house?”, and “Fight for Trump!”, among other things, almost always projecting his voice through a megaphone.

Using his megaphone, Norris yelled at officers and spoke with individuals in the crowd. Norris told one individual in the crowd, “I got bad news. We’re pushing through. You better get down with us or back off because we’re pushing through.” At approximately 1:45 p.m., together with other rioters in the crowd, Norris allegedly pushed the metal fencing that formed the barricade against U.S. Capitol Police Officers, who were attempting to prevent rioters from advancing towards the Capitol building.

Court documents say that Norris breached the barricades after the push. Still, officers were able to reestablish the police line and marshal rioters like Norris, who had broken through back behind the barricades. While pointing to the Capitol building, Norris again yelled at police officers, stating, “We don’t want you guys. We want them,” referring to elected officials in the building.

At approximately 2:00 p.m., while Norris was still behind the barricades, third-party video and closed-circuit video from the Capitol show rioters pushing the metal barricades against U.S. Capitol Police on a second occasion. Norris allegedly moved some of these barricades, and rioters were able to breach and move toward the Capitol successfully. Norris then allegedly moved forward to join the advancing crowd of rioters.

Norris and other rioters advanced into the restricted area of the Capitol grounds and towards the Capitol building. According to a third-party video, Norris was one of the first rioters to reach the East Central Steps of the Capitol building. He ascended the East Central Steps, where another police line had formed halfway to the top. Norris was directly in front of the police line, and he continued to yell at police officers through a megaphone. Among other things, Norris motioned with his left hand towards the Capitol building and told police officers, “Send those m—f— out to talk to us,” referring to elected officials in the Capitol building.

Norris’ actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election.