Virginia Man Arrested for Assaulting Law Enforcement on Jan. 6

Virginia Man Charged for Assaulting Law Enforcement During Capitol Breach

A Virginia man has been arrested on felony and misdemeanor charges, including for assaulting a law enforcement officer during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Nathaniel Noyce, 26, of Richmond, Virginia, is accused of disrupting a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election.

Noyce is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with felony offenses of civil disorder and assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers. In addition to the felonies, Noyce is charged with several misdemeanor offenses, including entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building or grounds.

According to court documents, Noyce was identified in open-source video footage at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, shortly before 2:00 p.m., making his way to the east side of the building. Rioters in this area overwhelmed police, causing police to retreat and a cascade of rioters swelled up the East Steps to the East Doors of the Capitol.

Noyce eventually entered the U.S. Capitol at approximately 3:15 p.m. Once inside, Noyce immediately traveled through the East Foyer to the Rotunda. As he entered the Rotunda, officers attempted to physically remove rioters; however, Noyce’s continued presence impeded their efforts. Court documents say that Noyce was one of the last rioters that officers removed from the Rotunda.

Noyce became increasingly physical with officers as he moved around the mob in the East Foyer, recording his actions on his cell phone. In one instance, Noyce is seen wrapping his arm around an officer at approximately 3:23 p.m. A few seconds later, he confronted a law enforcement officer and forcibly removed the officer’s protective visor. Noyce then struck the officer in his face with his right hand while holding his mobile phone.

Noyce remained near the U.S. Capitol and on U.S. Capitol grounds for several hours after he departed the building via the East Doors. Noyce was later seen in open-source video footage appearing with rioters near the west side of the U.S. Capitol after officers physically removed rioters from the Capitol grounds after dark. 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.