close

Convicted felon living in Uniontown charged in Capitol attack

3 min read
1 / 3

Peter Schwartz is accused of pepper spraying multiple officers during the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.

2 / 3

Federal prosecutors said this is a photo of Peter Schwartz, taken into custody in Uniontown on Thursday, spraying a substance into the crowd during the insurrection Jan. 6 in Washington, D.C.

3 / 3

Federal prosecutors identified the man in the photo as Peter Schwartz, who was taken into custody Thursday in Uniontown, for his alleged role in the insurrection Jan. 6 in Washington, D.C.

A convicted felon living in Uniontown who had been released from a Kentucky prison due to COVID-19 measures was allegedly seen on video showering a police officer in pepper spray outside the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection, according to federal court documents.

Peter Schwartz was recorded in portions of a nearly two-hour video posted on the internet showing him in the middle of the riot and spraying a D.C. Metropolitan police officer in the face with an orange irritant while protesters were trying to enter the building.

Federal authorities on Thursday charged Schwartz in connection with the insurrection after a friend recognized him and sent investigators Facebook postings Schwartz allegedly wrote about storming the Capitol.

The friend told investigators that Schwartz, who was working as a traveling welder, was supposed to be at a rehabilitation facility in Owensboro, Kentucky, the day the Capitol was attacked by former president Donald Trump’s supporters. It was not clear what felony Schwartz had been convicted of in Kentucky or when he was released from prison.

The tipster also told authorities that Schwartz admitted to him that “we were there” and also posted on Facebook about driving to Washington, D.C. for the protest. In a Facebook post the day after the insurrection, Schwartz wrote about participating in the riot, according to court documents.

“All the violence from the left was terrorism. What happened yesterday was the opening of a war. I was there and whether people will acknowledge it or not we are now at war. It would be wise to be ready!”

In a subsequent comment in response to the post, Schwartz was more specific about his role in the siege at the Capitol, according to court documents.

“I’ll tell you this…I’m shocked reading the reports of what happened yesterday,” Schwartz wrote in a comment. “Very different than what I saw up close and personal. (We’re still spitting up gas and mace today.)”

Video and photos from the riot show a man wearing a blue and yellow flannel shirt, along with a blue bandana, which matched a photo Schwartz sent to a friend, according to court documents.

A man wearing that outfit can be seen in a video raising his arm and spraying a police officer in the face with what appears to be a police-issued canister of pepper spray, investigators said. The officer told investigators he had been “maced” multiple times by protesters, and court documents indicated that Schwartz sprayed mace at several police officers at other times during the attack.

Schwartz can later be seen wielding a wooden baton, although it was not known if he assaulted anyone with it or ever made it inside the Capitol, investigators said.

Schwartz was arrested Thursday in Uniontown, where authorities said he was residing. It was unclear if he had ties to the area or how long he had been living there.

He is charged with forcibly assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers or employees; knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder; and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.

CUSTOMER LOGIN

If you have an account and are registered for online access, sign in with your email address and password below.

NEW CUSTOMERS/UNREGISTERED ACCOUNTS

Never been a subscriber and want to subscribe, click the Subscribe button below.

Starting at $3.75/week.

Subscribe Today