A New Jersey man has admitted to participating in the violent disruption of the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Gregory C. Yetman, 47, from Helmetta, pled guilty to a felony charge of assaulting law enforcement, as per an announcement from the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.

Yetman, an enlisted military police officer with the U.S. Army National Guard, confessed to physically confronting officers trying to keep the peace during the riot. On July 22, 2024, he will face Chief Judge James E. Boasberg for sentencing, as indicated in a release by the Department of Justice. In their detailing of the incident, court documents state that Yetman was captured on camera aggressively using OC spray against police officers who were encircled by rioters at the Capitol building.

Following the rally that day, Yetman joined the crowd at the West Terrace of the Capitol and was seen assaulting officers with the lachrymatory agent for about 12 to 14 seconds, which led to the officers retreating. He then proceeded to capture photos and videos of the chaos, subsequently moving to another area where rioters tried to force entry into the Capitol through the Lower West Terrace Tunnel.

Attempts to arrest Yetman on November 8, 2023, resulted in a brief manhunt after he tried unsuccessfully to lock himself in his residence and fled into nearby woods, explained the Department of Justice. In his hurry, Yetman dropped items including a knife and cell phone, and officials later found multiple firearms and large amounts of ammunition in his home, vehicle, and storage unit. He turned himself in two days later.

Federal investigators had been on Yetman's trail since identifying him from event photos published by the FBI's Newark and Washington Field Offices, where he was listed as BOLO AFO-278. The prosecution was carried out by the Department of Justice National Security Division's Counterterrorism Section and the U.S. Attorney's Office for D.C., with help from the District of New Jersey. Since the Capitol breach, over 1,385 individuals have found themselves facing charges for their roles in the events that shook the nation, with nearly 500 of them charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.