Colorado Man Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Law Enforcement During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach (original) (raw)

WASHINGTON – A Colorado man pleaded guilty on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023, to assaulting law enforcement during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His 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.

Jonathan David Grace, 49, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia to one count of assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers. U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton will sentence Grace on Jan. 30, 2024.

According to court documents, on Jan. 6, 2021, Grace marched to the U.S. Capitol grounds and joined a group of rioters attempting to violently push their way past law enforcement officers who had formed in a police line in the Lower West Terrace Tunnel entrance to the Capitol.

At approximately 3:12 p.m., Grace entered the Tunnel and joined the collective efforts to push into the police line. Grace then made his way deep into the mob of rioters inside the Tunnel, put his head down, and began using his body weight to forcefully push in unison with the rioters against police officers. Court documents say that as Grace and the rioters thrust their collective body weight into the officers, one officer could be heard screaming in pain as he was smashed between a shield and a metal door frame.

After a prolonged forceful pushing effort, officers temporarily gained control of the Tunnel and forced Grace and others to exit. Grace remained near the Tunnel on the Lower West Terrace and reentered at about 3:15 p.m. He then made his way to the front of the mob of rioters and joined others in pushing against law enforcement. Grace pushed against police with other rioters while the mob inside the Tunnel aggressively yelled commands like, “PUSH!” and “LET’S GO!” and “WHOSE STREETS? OUR STREETS!”

Grace and the mob continued to push against the police officer line until about 3:18 p.m., when he was expelled from the Tunnel. He remained near the mouth of the Tunnel as rioters continued to engage in violent acts against police officers and watched close by as rioters dragged a Metropolitan Police Department officer out of the Tunnel and attacked him.

Approximately 20 minutes after exiting the Tunnel, Grace again joined other rioters who began pushing against the police line, attempting to force their way into the Capitol building. As police attempted to fully clear the Tunnel of rioters, Grace remained at the front of the mob, fighting with officers and using his body to maintain ground. He held onto the tunnel archway, turned his back to the officers, and resisted the officers’ pushing. Grace also forcefully pushed into the officers, making physical contact with the officers as he assaulted them.

Grace finally retreated after being sprayed by police with a chemical irritant.

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. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado.

The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Denver Field Office and the FBI’s Washington Field Office, which identified Grace as #233 on its seeking information photos. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

In the 33 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,100 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 400 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.

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