A Wheat Ridge man, Matthew James Melsen, 34, has been apprehended by the FBI on multiple federal felony charges for allegedly assaulting a police officer during the events that unfolded at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. The U.S. Department of Justice has announced that Melsen is facing charges including assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers and civil disorder, along with several misdemeanor counts related to his involvement in entering the U.S. Capitol and engaging in violence on Capitol grounds and buildings.
According to court records and police body-worn camera footage from that day, Melsen was observed arriving at the bike rack barricades on the West Plaza of the U.S. Capitol around 2:15 p.m. He was wearing a black hat with the slogan “Keep America Great.” Within seconds of his arrival, Melsen reached over the barricades and pushed a Metropolitan Police Officer. In response, the officer pushed Melsen away, but he charged back at the officer, pushing him in the chest. Melsen was subsequently sprayed with pepper spray and moved away into the crowd.
Melsen reappeared in an open-source video just before 4 p.m., making his way onto the Inaugural Stage near the archway at the mouth of the Lower West Terrace Tunnel. The Tunnel was a site of intense clashes between rioters and law enforcement on January 6th. Inside the Tunnel around 3:55 p.m., Melsen and another rioter grabbed a long stick that an MPD officer was using to prevent a rioter from climbing into the Tunnel. They held onto the stick until it broke, and the other rioter used the broken part to strike officers’ shields forcefully while demanding entry. When another officer attempted to intervene with his baton, Melsen tried to prevent him from using it by grabbing the baton.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, in conjunction with the Department of Justice National Security Division’s counterterrorism section, will be prosecuting Melsen’s case. He recently made his first appearance in the U.S. District of Colorado.
2 Responses
I recently came across a similar case in my local news. In my city, there was an incident where a man was arrested for assaulting a police officer during a protest. The protest was organized to raise awareness about police brutality and racial injustice.
During the protest, tensions were high, and there were clashes between the demonstrators and law enforcement. The man in question allegedly got involved in a physical altercation with a police officer, resulting in injuries to both parties.
The incident was captured on video by several bystanders
This is absolutely outrageous! How dare Matthew James Melsen assault a police officer?! It is beyond comprehension how someone can have such disregard for law enforcement and the safety of others. This kind of behavior is completely unacceptable and should be condemned by society.
Police officers put their lives on the line every day to protect and serve our communities. They deserve our respect and support, not to be attacked and assaulted. It is disheartening to see individuals like Melsen show such blatant disrespect for authority and the rule