A Colorado man faces serious charges after being arrested for his role in the storming of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, which shook the nation as it watched an electoral process turned into a violent confrontation, the Department of Justice reported.
Matthew James Melsen, 34, from Wheat Ridge, was taken into custody yesterday, and is facing a litany of charges including felony offenses of civil disorder and assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers, along with other misdemeanors such as disorderly conduct and engaging in physical violence in a restricted building, as detailed in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia and disclosed on the Justice Department's website.
The court documents shed light on Melsen's alleged actions, captured on police body-worn camera footage, as he aggressively confronted law enforcement officials, at one point being sprayed with OC spray after charging at and pushing a Metropolitan Police Department officer; the skirmish was just a fraction of the broader chaos that unfolded on that fateful day.
The Denver and Washington Field Offices of the FBI, working in conjunction with U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department, embarked on their investigation which culminated with identifying Melsen as person of interest #375 on the FBI’s BOLO (Be on the Lookout) list, which paved the way for his eventual arrest and the overwhelming collection of video evidence that allegedly places him at multiple scenes of confrontation at the Capitol grounds, including struggling over a police officer's baton.
In the 37 months since the Capitol breach, over 1,313 individuals across the U.S. have been implicated in related crimes, exemplifying the extensive scope of ongoing investigations and the toll taken on law enforcement with more than 469 individuals charged with felonies, as the Justice Department continues to work through the aftermath of the day democracy was physically challenged.
As legal processes unfold, it's important to remember that all accused individuals, including Melsen, are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, a fundamental principle that provides the bedrock for the American judicial system's pursuit of fairness and justice.
