A South Carolina man pleaded guilty Thursday, to assaulting law enforcement during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Thomas Andrew Casselman, 30, of Walhalla, South Carolina, pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia to a felony offense of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers.
According to court documents, Casselman was among a crowd of rioters amassed on the West Plaza of the Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, 2021, positioned directly in front of an established police line.
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At approximately 2:25 p.m., the police line began to fall, and rioters clashed with officers. Casselman then stepped toward the police and deployed a canister of oleoresin capsicum (OC) spray in close range of the officers. The spray directly struck several Metropolitan Police Department Officers.
Court documents say that after participating in the events of January 6th, Casselman made multiple search inquiries online, including:
- “The statute of limitations for assault on a police officer”
- “The statute of limitations for assault on a federal officer”
- “Assaulting a federal officer punishment”
- “What is the definition of a domestic terrorist”
- “How long does Verizon keep text messages”
The FBI arrested Casselman on March 28, 2023, in Walhalla.
The FBI’s Columbia and Washington Field Offices investigated this case, and in its seeking information photos, they identified Casselman as BOLO (Be on the Lookout) #363.
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