Man admits to Jan. 6 attacks on police, AP photographer
A Pennsylvania man pleaded guilty on Monday to attacking police officers and an Associated Press photographer during the Jan. 6, 2021 riot on the U.S. Capitol.
In a deal with prosecutors, Alan Byerly, 55, admitted to wielding a stun gun while confronting officers who were trying to protect the Capitol from the angry mob. He also admitted to assaulting AP photographer John Minchillo, who was documenting the chaos and violence outside the building where lawmakers were meeting to certify President Joe Biden’s election victory.
In exchange for pleading guilty to two charges stemming from the attacks, prosecutors agreed to drop several other charges Byerly was facing, including civil disorder. An email seeking comment was sent to his attorneys after the hearing in Washington's federal court.
Federal guidelines recommend a sentence between about three and four years behind bars, U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss said. Byerly, of Fleetwood, is scheduled to be sentenced in October.
Byerly, who was arrested last year, is among three people who have been charged with assaulting Minchillo, who was wearing a helmet-style gas mask when he was pushed, pulled and punched by a group of men outside the Capitol. The assault was captured on video by a colleague.
Byerly was seen on camera standing behind a group of people who pulled Minchillo backward down a set of stairs leading up to the western front of the Capitol building, according to charging documents.
At the bottom of the stairs, Byerly and three other people grabbed the photographer and pushed, shoved and dragged him, authorities say. Byerly grabbed Minchillo with both hands and pushed him backwards before continuing to push and drag him away from the stairs, prosecutors say.
Minchillo found himself backed up against a stone...