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Defendant Sprayed Fire Extinguisher at Police
January 10, 2024 - WASHINGTON — A Las Vegas man has been arrested on felony and misdemeanor charges, including for assaulting law enforcement during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.
Mario Gonzalez, 51, of Las Vegas, Nevada, is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with felony offenses of obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder and assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers. In addition to the felonies, Gonzalez is charged with misdemeanor offenses of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
Gonzalez was arrested on Jan. 8, 2024, by the FBI in Las Vegas and made his initial appearance in the District of Nevada.
According to allegations contained in court documents, Gonzalez traveled from Las Vegas to Washington, D.C., and was present among a mob of rioters illegally assembled on Capitol grounds near the Peace Monument circle on Jan. 6, 2021. Gonzalez then approached the Lower West Terrace and entered the northern scaffolding around the Inauguration stage, where police attempted to prevent rioters from gaining access to the steps leading up to the Upper West Terrace. As the rioters succeeded in pushing the police line back and up the stairs, Gonzalez filmed the altercation with police and took selfie-style recordings of himself using his cell phone.
Court documents say that Gonzalez then came out of the scaffolding carrying a fire extinguisher and proceeded to spray the extinguisher in the direction of the police line that held the crowd at bay. Police then deployed a chemical riot control agent in the direction of Gonzalez, which caused him to drop the fire extinguisher and retreat into the crowd.
This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division's Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Nevada.
This case is being investigated by the FBI's Las Vegas and Washington Field Offices. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia.
In the 36 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,265 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 440 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.
A complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Attachment: gonzalez_sof.pdf [PDF, 2 MB]
Source: DOJ Release
