Michael Bradley, Assaulting Officers, Georgia 2021

Michael Bradley, a 50-year-old man from Forsyth, Georgia, has been found guilty of assaulting law enforcement and other charges related to his conduct during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol.

Bradley was convicted by U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton of multiple felony and misdemeanor offenses, including civil disorder; assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers; entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon; and engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon.

According to evidence presented during the trial, on Jan. 6, 2021, between 4:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., an individual, later identified as Bradley, carrying a baton in a holster on his right hip, made his way toward the U.S. Capitol and moved to the Lower West Terrace Tunnel, the site of some of the most violent attacks against law enforcement that day.

While at the Lower West Terrace, Bradley watched as rioters smashed out windows and pulled law enforcement officers into the rioting crowd. He approached the Tunnel two times over a two-minute period with the intent of assaulting officers with his baton.

At approximately 4:27 p.m., Bradley raised his baton and approached officers in the Tunnel in an apparent threat to strike them. However, he was sprayed with a chemical agent, which appeared to have caused him to retreat temporarily.

At approximately 4:28 p.m., CCTV and third-party video captured Bradley as he returned to the mouth of the Tunnel. This time, he swung at the officers with his baton in an attempt to hit them. After swinging at the officers at least two times, Bradley moved to the side of the Tunnel and left the Lower West Terrace a few minutes later.

Bradley will be sentenced by Judge Walton on Dec. 17, 2024. The FBI arrested Bradley on Sept. 7, 2023, in Forsyth, Georgia. This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section, with valuable assistance provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia.

Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

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