Nicholas Waldon Smotherman, 41, of Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, pleaded guilty today to assaulting law enforcement officers during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol.
Smotherman’s alleged 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 2020 presidential election.
According to court documents, Smotherman was identified among a crowd of rioters on Jan. 6, 2021, amassed on the Upper West Plaza of the U.S. Capitol grounds.
A Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer’s body-worn camera captured Smotherman wearing body armor — specifically a green MSA Paraclete Tactical Vest — standing in front of the bike racks and a police line on the southwest side of the Upper West Plaza.
Smotherman then approached an MPD officer and pushed the officer with both hands.
The officer then attempted to push Smotherman back using a baton, but Smotherman stood upright and yelled, ‘Hit me with it again.’
The FBI arrested Smotherman on August 2, 2024, in Hermitage, Tennessee.
This case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
Related Federal Cases
- Devin McNulty Charged with Assaulting a Law Enforcement Officer, Washington DC, 2021 · Washington
- Kevin Douglas Creek, Assault on Law Enforcement, GA 2023 · Washington
- Justin Jersey, Assault on Capitol Police, Michigan 2021 · Pennsylvania
- Jason Farris, Assault on Law Enforcement, Texas 2021 · Washington
- Michael Tyler Roberts, Assault on Law Enforcement, Tennessee 2021 · Washington
Key Facts
- State: Washington DC
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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