WASHINGTON D.C., DC — A Colorado Springs man pleaded guilty Tuesday in Federal Court to a single charge related to his actions at the U.S. Capitol during the insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021.
Jonathan Grace, 49, is scheduled to be sentenced in January after he pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia to one count of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers.
According to court documents, on Jan. 6, 2021, Grace marched to the U.S. Capitol grounds and joined a group of rioters attempting to violently push past law enforcement officers who had formed in a police line in the Lower West Terrace Tunnel entrance to the Capitol.
At approximately 3:12 p.m., Grace entered the Tunnel and joined the collective efforts to push into the police line. Grace then made his way deep into the mob of rioters inside the Tunnel, put his head down, and began using his body weight to forcefully push in unison with the rioters against police officers.
Court documents say that as Grace and the rioters thrust their collective body weight into the officers, one officer could be heard screaming in pain as he was smashed between a shield and a metal door frame.
Officers temporarily gained control of the Tunnel and forced Grace and others to exit, however, Grace remained near the Tunnel and reentered a few minutes later and was pushed out again.
He remained near the tunnel entrance and roughly 20 minutes later, Grace again joined other rioters who began pushing against the police line, attempting to force their way into the Capitol building. As police attempted to fully clear the Tunnel of rioters, Grace remained at the front of the mob, fighting with officers and using his body to maintain ground. He held onto the tunnel archway, turned his back to the officers, and resisted the officers’ pushing. Grace also forcefully pushed into the officers, making physical contact with the officers as he assaulted them.
Grace finally retreated after being sprayed by police with a chemical irritant.
In the 33 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,100 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 400 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.
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