The FBI arrested a man at his Snohomish home Thursday, in connection with what the Justice Department says were his actions during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol, including throwing a riot shield at police officers.
Derek Noftsger, 47, faces charges of obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder and assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers using a dangerous weapon — both felonies, the Justice Department said in a statement Friday.
Noftsger was also charged with four misdemeanors including committing an act of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or building and disruptive conduct in a restrictive building or grounds, the statement said.
The Justice Department said Noftsger was seen in a video standing near a line of police officers on the West Plaza of the Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, 2021. Shortly before 3 p.m., as people started pushing against a line of officers, Noftsger allegedly picked up an officer's riot shield from the ground, lifted it above his head with both hands and threw it at the officers, the statement said.
Noftsger then entered the building's Lower West Terrace and unfurled a flag he had been holding, according to the Justice Department. The statement did not describe what kind of flag he is accused of carrying.
Noftsger is among nearly 1,500 people charged for crimes related to the U.S. Capitol breach, according to the Justice Department.
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