NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — A Newport News man was arrested and charged on Wednesday in connection to assaulting law enforcement during the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol Riot.
According to a release from the D.C. U.S. Attorney's Office, 34-year-old Matthew Stalling of Newport News is charged in a criminal complaint filed in D.C. with felony offenses of civil disorder, engaging in physical violence against any person or property while using or carrying a deadly or dangerous weapon, and assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers.
He's also charged with misdemeanor offenses connected to being in a restricted building.
According to court documents, Stallings was identified in video and images participating in the riot near the Lower West Terrace Tunnel of the U.S. Capitol building on January 6.
The release states that the tunnel was created for the upcoming Presidential Inauguration and was the site of some of the most violent attacks against law enforcement on that day.
Images show an individual, later identified as Stallings, wearing a 3M brand respirator mask and a tan military-style helmet with a flashlight and black and white Gagsden patch attached to the left side.
At around 4:15 p.m., Stallings is seen on video and CCTV footage approaching the mouth of the tunnel, raising a canister, and spraying an orange substance at police officers assembled in the tunnel.
CCTV and police officer body-worn camera footage showed officers reacting in pain to the substance and being unable to perform their duties, including an officer who was escorted off camera. After discharging the entire contents of the canister on officers, Stallings threw the empty canister at officers in the Tunnel. Court documents say the substance was oleoresin capsicum (OC) spray.
Following his actions at the Capitol, Stallings was identified in a YouTube video describing how officers pepper sprayed him.
Court documents say that in this video, Stallings displayed his helmet and mask, while wearing the same tactical vest observed in other footage.
At one point in the video he referenced his mask stating, “Luckily, I invested in one of these, if y’all are going to come out here, and try to go up in ‘em front lines y’all better buy some of these.”
Another person asked Stallings if he “planned for this,” to which he replied, “Yes.”
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 and investigated by the FBI's Norfolk and Washington Field Offices. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.
The release states that "in the 37 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,313 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 469 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing."
