Jan 6th rioter facing 8 years in prison after admitting he used chemical spray on Capitol cops: report

The Charlotte Observer is reporting that a 30-year-old Fayetteville man confessed on Friday that he used a chemical spray on Capitol police officers while taking part in the Jan 6th insurrection.

James Phillip Mault pleaded guilty during Friday's court proceedings, with the Observer reporting he had been charged with assaulting, resisting or impeding officers during the riot that sent lawmakers fleeing for their lives.

"Court documents said Mault got a small canister of chemical spray from another member of the crowd and sprayed it at officers defending the tunnel. He got a second canister from the crowd and gave it to another rioter, records shows," the report states. "Earlier that afternoon, Mault was part of the crowd that overwhelmed a police line, 'forcing officers to retreat up a central staircase to the Lower West Terrace' at the Capitol, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office."

The report states he was taken into custody on Oct. 7 at Fort Bragg, where he had enlisted in the Army after the attack, and that he faces up to eight years in prison, with his sentencing scheduled for July 15 according to court documents.