WASHINGTON — A Bradenton man who identifies as a member of the Proud Boys pleaded guilty Thursday to charges related to the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.
The Department of Justice said footage shows Daniel Scott, 29, yelling and pushing two U.S. Capitol police officers.
"Following Scott’s assault, members of the crowd behind him surged through the gap in the police line created by his conduct, and ultimately committed the first breach of the U.S. Capitol Building that day," the Department of Justice said in a news release.
Before the breach of the U.S. Capitol, a joint session of the U.S. Congress was in the process of ascertaining and counting the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.
Documents show Scott wearing a ballistic vest and ski goggles on the lower west terrace of the Capitol, at the front of a large crowd yell at U.S. Capitol Police officers who were defending a staircase. The DOJ said Scott appears to be one of the first, "or perhaps the first," person to initiate contact with law enforcement at this location.
Scott faces a charge of obstruction of an official proceeding and aiding and abetting and a second charge of assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers, the Department of Justice said. He faces up to a maximum of 28 years in prison and potential financial penalties, according to officials.
The 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.