Man who sprayed fire extinguisher at officers on Jan. 6 pleads guilty to felony charges

A Maryland man who sprayed a fire extinguisher at police and encouraged other rioters to storm a tunnel under the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach pleaded guilty to felony charges on Wednesday.

Matthew Miller, 23, pleaded guilty to obstruction of an official proceeding and assaulting, resisting or impeding officers, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Miller faces up to 20 years in prison for the obstruction charge and another eight years for assaulting an officer.

“The defendant admits that he assaulted officers who were protecting the entrance to the U.S. Capitol at the Lower West Terrance tunnel in an attempt to gain entrance to the U.S. Capitol building for himself and others,” the criminal offense statement reads. “Defendant further admits he did so in an attempt to obstruct, influence, and impede an official proceeding.”

Miller joins 165 others who have pleaded guilty to federal charges since the Jan. 6 insurrection, when thousands of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in an attempt to overturn certification of the 2020 election. More than 725 people have been arrested in connection with the event.

Miller, of Cooksville, appeared on Jan. 6 wearing a Washington Capitals jersey and a black cowboy hat, according to the offense statement. He later draped himself in an American flag, and as the mob gathered on the west side of the grounds, Miller threw an “unidentified object” at the Capitol.

The statement says Miller then assisted other rioters in climbing the walls of the Capitol grounds until they reached the Lower West Terrace tunnel. Defendants clashed with Capitol officers and police guarding the tunnel, and Miller allegedly sprayed a fire extinguisher at them.

Miller was arrested on Jan. 25. He posted a picture of himself at the rally on his Instagram account, according to court documents.