Source: United States Department of Justice News
WASHINGTON – An Ohio man pleaded guilty today to a felony charge related to his actions 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.
Michael Scott Lockwood, 32, of Southington, Ohio, pleaded guilty today in the District of Columbia to the felony charge of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers. U.S. District Court Judge Randolph D. Moss scheduled a sentencing hearing for Nov. 3, 2023. Lockwood faces a statutory maximum sentence of eight years in prison.
According to court documents, on Jan. 6, 2021, Lockwood was outside the west side of the U.S. Capitol building on the northwest riser that formed part of the inaugural amphitheater. At approximately 3:47 p.m., Lockwood sent a Facebook message to another user stating, “Im on top of the capitol bro.” At 4:06 p.m., Lockwood sent another Facebook message that included a selfie of Lockwood on the northwest riser.
At approximately 4:23 p.m., police officers used tear gas on the northwest riser, and Lockwood sent another Facebook message, stating, “They just tear gassed the F[***] out of us.” MPD officers then began to climb on top of a raised platform on the riser where a crowd of rioters, including Lockwood, were standing. Officers began clearing the platform of the rioters and attempted to move Lockwood off the platform, but Lockwood resisted.
Court documents state that an MPD officer and a rioter were involved in an altercation when Lockwood grabbed the police officer’s baton. Lockwood then made contact with the officer’s arm and body, jumped off the raised platform, and pulled the police baton out of the officer’s hand.
At 5:07 p.m., Lockwood sent another Facebook message stating, “Yea bro I got in a fight with the cops and s[***],” to which the other replied, “and you didn’t get arrested ???” Lockwood then replied, “No arrest I took a baton from them.”
According to court documents, Lockwood sent a Facebook message to another user, writing, “Got me a little souvenir from wednesday.” The message included two images of a police baton.
The 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 Northern District of Ohio.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington and Cleveland Field Office, as well as the Metropolitan Police Department, with significant assistance provided by the U.S. Capitol Police.
In the 30 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,069 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 350 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.