Man who took two loaded guns to Capitol on Jan. 6 sentenced to five years - The Washington Post

“All I heard astir successful Indiana,” Mazza said, “is D.C. is the execution capital.”

So helium carried the 2 loaded guns with him from the “Stop the Steal” rally astatine the Ellipse, led by President Donald Trump, to the Capitol and soon began brawling with police, tribunal records and videos show. In his archetypal combat with officers connected the westbound broadside of the Capitol, helium fell down and his Taurus “Judge” .45-caliber handgun dropped retired of his waistband, tribunal records state.

Rather than retrieve it, Mazza pushed on, and coiled up astatine the beforehand of the mob battle connected officers successful the Lower West Terrace tunnel. Videos amusement helium helped pb the “heave-ho” propulsion astatine a doorway which partially crushed 1 serviceman and swiped a baton from different earlier smashing the officer’s manus with it. He then recruited much rioters to articulation successful connected the extended propulsion to interruption done into the Capitol halls, videos show.

“I whitethorn spell down arsenic a hero,” Mazza told Capitol Police investigators 2 months later, calling himself a patriot and saying helium was aggravated astir the authorities of the country. He told the constabulary that if they came backmost to apprehension him, “put maine successful a fed … I conscionable privation 3 squares and a bully cleanable room, idiosyncratic takes attraction of my wellness attraction and I’m good.”

Mazza, 57, got his privation to beryllium enactment successful a fed. A national justice Friday sentenced him to 5 years successful prison, for assaulting constabulary with a deadly limb and carrying an unregistered firearm successful the District. Mazza is 1 of 7 radical charged with carrying firearms astatine oregon adjacent the Capitol connected Jan. 6, and the 5th to plead guilty.

Prosecutors had sought a six and a fractional twelvemonth term, saying his beating of a vicinity lad past twelvemonth showed helium was inactive dangerous.

While Mazza was waiting to beryllium arrested, tribunal records show, helium attacked a 12-year-old who made derogatory comments astir the Trump emblem hanging supra Mazza’s home. Prosecutors said Mazza referred to the kid arsenic the n-word, saying Trump “kills” radical similar him. A Shelbyville constabulary study said Mazza picked up the lad by the neck, slammed him to the crushed and held him down. Shortly earlier his apprehension connected national charges in the Capitol attack, Mazza was convicted of misdemeanor battle and fined.

When Mazza returned to Shelbyville, helium called constabulary connected Jan. 8 to study that his Taurus Judge had been stolen from his car astatine a casino successful Ohio. That lie, 1 of galore Mazza told successful consequent months, led investigators to sojourn Mazza successful March 2021, wherever helium told them helium didn’t battle immoderate constabulary officers connected Jan. 6.

“Didn’t swing, didn’t bash nothing,” Mazza told the Capitol Police investigators. Asked if helium had thing other to add, Mazza said, “Never did get to speech to Nancy,” referring to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). “I thought Nan and I would deed it disconnected … I was gladsome I didn’t due to the fact that you’d beryllium present for different reason.”

When police searched his location successful November, Mazza revealed helium besides had a .40-caliber weapon astatine the Capitol connected Jan. 6, stashed successful a level safe. Police besides seized much than 1,000 rounds of ammunition from Mazza’s location arsenic good arsenic the constabulary baton he’d stolen with the serial number scratched off.

A antheral who drove from Shelbyville with Mazza, Roger K. Baugh, pleaded blameworthy Friday to felony civilian upset and is scheduled to beryllium sentenced successful January.

Mazza was the 48th rioter sentenced for a felony. The mean situation condemnation for Jan. 6 felonies is somewhat little than 3 years, according to a Washington Post database. Of the 880 rioters charged truthful far, much than 270 person been charged with assaulting the police, the Justice Department said successful a caller release.

It is not wide whether Mazza, carrying 2 firearms, really entered the Ellipse wherever Trump spoke connected Jan. 6, and wherever the Secret Service was utilizing metallic detectors to surface attendees. At astir 2:30 p.m., according to tribunal records, Capitol Police trying to clasp the enactment astatine barricades connected the West Terrace were attacked by rioters. A sergeant reported that erstwhile helium struck a antheral with his baton, the antheral fell and a loaded Taurus Judge revolver fell from the man’s pants, with 3 .410-gauge shotshells and 2 .45-caliber hollow-point rounds.

After losing his archetypal gun, Mazza proceeded to the West Terrace tunnel, videos show, wherever helium helped pb the propulsion against officers, loudly cursed astatine them, and past grabbed the baton of Sgt. Phuson Nguyen and deed him with it. Nguyen was not earnestly wounded successful that encounter, but aboriginal helium would get knocked down astatine the beforehand of the passageway and person chemic irritants sprayed into his state disguise portion it was momentarily pulled from his face.

Mazza then battled with police, and held unfastened solid doors to alteration different rioters to face police, portion screaming epithets astatine the officers, surveillance video shows. He past moved to the backmost of the crowd, and tin beryllium seen pulling different rioters successful from extracurricular to articulation the fray.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tejpal S. Chawla said officers would person “been capable to propulsion radical out” of the passageway if Mazza hadn’t recruited much people.

“Mr. Mazza done his efforts present makes that impossible,” Chawla said.

At the beforehand of the fray, D.C. constabulary serviceman Michael Fanone tin beryllium seen telling Mazza to leave. When the mob built up again, rioters yanked Fanone outside, severely beating and utilized a Taser connected the officer. Prosecutors said Mazza helped support Fanone and different downed serviceman until assistance could arrive. Mazza stayed astatine the Capitol for different 90 minutes aft being expelled from the tunnel.

“I person remorse for everything I did connected that day,” Mazza told U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg. “I got caught up connected the mob mentality that I ne'er anticipated. I went for a rally, I ended up astatine the Capitol.” He said helium has been extorted, beaten and robbed portion being held astatine the Northern Neck Regional Jail for the past 11 months. “I propulsion myself connected the mercy of this court.”

“I don’t cognize what connected world you were reasoning successful the passageway that day,” Boasberg told him. “The videos are incredibly alarming. … The mob doesn’t execute what it accomplished that time without numbers, and you were a large portion of that.”

Advisory national sentencing guidelines acceptable a scope of 57 to 71 months for the condemnation of assaulting constabulary with a deadly limb (the baton), and six to 24 months for carrying an unregistered gun. Prosecutors said 78 months would beryllium the mediate of some sentences, if served consecutively. Boasberg imposed 60 months connected the battle complaint and six months connected the weapon charge, moving them concurrently, saying helium gave Mazza recognition for helping the 2 downed constabulary officers and serving 3 years successful the Army successful Germany.