Defendant Allegedly Assaulted Police with Riot Shield
August 17, 2024 – WASHINGTON – A Washington State man was arrested on August 15, 2024, on felony and misdemeanor charges related to his alleged conduct during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. His alleged 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.
Derek Noftsger, 47, of Snohomish, Washington, is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder and assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers using a dangerous weapon, both felony offenses. In addition to the felonies, Noftsger is charged with misdemeanor offenses of disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building or grounds, and act of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings.
The FBI arrested Noftsger on Aug. 15, 2024, in Snohomish. He made his initial appearance in the Western District of Washington.
According to court documents, Noftsger was identified in open-source video standing near a line of police officers on Jan. 6, 2021, on the West Plaza of the U.S. Capitol grounds. At approximately 2:26 p.m., multiple rioters began to push against the police line near Noftsger. In response, Noftsger allegedly picked up a police officer’s riot shield from the ground and faced a Metropolitan Police Department officer. When officers pushed back a rioter near Noftsger, he allegedly lifted the riot shield above his head with both hands and threw it at the officers.
At about 2:28 p.m., rioters on the West Plaza overran the police line, and Noftsger made his way onto the Southwest Scaffolding and the Lower West Terrace. Here, Noftsger unfurled a flag that he had been carrying.
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 Western District of Washington.
The case is being investigated by the FBI's Seattle and Washington Field Offices. Noftsger was identified as BOLO (Be on the Lookout) #339. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.
In the 43 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,488 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including nearly 550 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.
Source & photo credit: DOJ Release
