WASHINGTON — A Pennsylvania man pleaded guilty Thursday to assaulting law enforcement with a dangerous weapon during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Joshua Lee Atwood, 31, of Burgettstown, Pa., admitted to assaulting officers defending the Capitol as rioters disrupted the certification of the 2020 presidential election results.
Atwood pleaded guilty to a felony charge of assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers using a dangerous weapon before U.S. District Judge Randolph D. Moss. Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 20, 2024.
According to court documents, Atwood attended the “Stop the Steal” rally on Jan. 6, before joining the crowd at the Capitol’s Lower West Terrace Tunnel. Atwood entered the Capitol through a broken window, threw objects at officers, and struck officers with a wooden pole and a police riot shield. He also used a canister of pepper spray on the officers until it was emptied, prosecutors said.
Atwood was arrested in Pennsylvania by the FBI on April 17, 2024.