Nicholas Waldon Smotherman, a 41-year-old man from Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, has been arrested on charges related to the January 6, 2021, Capitol breach, during which he allegedly assaulted law enforcement. The Department of Justice announced that his actions contributed to the interruption of the joint session of U.S. Congress tasked with certifying the 2020 presidential election results.
Standing amidst a throng of rioters, Smotherman was identified, specifically at the Upper West Plaza of the U.S. Capitol grounds, where he stood before bike racks and a police line. Early filed court documents allege that when police ordered the crowding rioters to move back who were pulling at the bike racks, Smotherman and the group knocked the barricades down instead. As seen on a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer's body-worn camera, Smotherman allegedly pushed the officer with both hands after advancing on the police line.
Following an exchange where Smotherman reportedly grabbed at the officer's baton and was met with pepper spray, the situation escalated as rioters overwhelmed the police and forced a retreat. Smotherman was later seen near the "Tunnel," the entrance to the Lower West Terrace Door, which became notorious for violent encounters with law enforcement that day. He has now been charged with several misdemeanors and felony offenses, including obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder and assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers.
Arrested by the FBI today in Hermitage, Tennessee, Smotherman made his initial appearance in court in the Middle District of Tennessee. Aside from his own case, authorities have charged more than 1,470 individuals for crimes connected to the Capitol breach since January 6, 2021. Among them, over 530 were accused of assaulting or impeding law enforcement, faced with the gravity of felony charges. The Department of Justice notes that there are investigations that remain ongoing today in an effort to bring all participants to justice.
With substantial assistance from the U.S. Capitol Police, the Metropolitan Police Department, and the FBI's Memphis and Washington Field Offices, Smotherman was identified as Assault on Federal Officer (AFO) #364. The combined efforts of multiple law enforcement agencies underscore the thorough pursuit to hold accountable those involved in the Capitol breach.
