SC man who shot bear spray at police during Jan. 6 Capitol riot pleads guilty

A Walhalla man who fired bear spray at police officers on U.S. Capitol grounds during the Jan. 6 riots pleaded guilty Thursday in the District of Columbia federal court to assaulting law enforcement.

Thomas Andrew Casselman, 30, will be sentenced on July 18 by U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich in federal court in Washington. He is the 19th of 25 people from South Carolina arrested in the Jan. 6 riot to plead guilty. Another was found guilty by a District of Columbia jury. Charges against the other five are pending.

The federal offense of assaulting police officers carries a maximum sentence of eight years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

As part of a plea agreement in the case, Casselman admitted his guilt and agreed to pay restitution in an amount to be later determined to the four police officers injured by his bear spray. He also acknowledged that rioters caused $2.9 million worth of damage to the Capitol and agrees to pay $2,000 as his share of paying for the damage. Other charges against him have been dropped.

“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,” the U.S. Attorney’s office in Washington said in a news release about the guilty plea.

Court records in the case said Casselman moved toward a police line that was falling back and “deployed a canister of oleoresin capsicum (bear spray) in close range of the officers. The spray directly struck several Metropolitan Police Department Officers.” The bear spray caused on officer to have convulsions and left bright orange residue on the officers’ clothing and protective gear, court documents said.

Casselman also yelled at officers, telling them, “You’re fighting the wrong fight!” according to court documents.

The incident took place early in the hourslong riot, around 2:25 pm, as people began to break into the Capitol, court records show. Five minutes earlier, members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate had been instructed to evacuate the building due to the mob’s invasion, court records said.

Evidence against Casselman, who was arrested in Walhalla on March 28, 2023, includes several photos captured on police body cameras showing Casselman spraying officers with bear spray, a complaint in his case said. Casselman waived his right to a trial by jury.

Tipsters provided the initial information that Casselman was the man in photos publicly circulated by the FBI in the agency’s quest to identify rioters, the complaint said.

“These tips stated that Casselman bragged about going to Washington, D.C., told the tipsters he had been hit with tear gas while there, and shared photographs and videos from his time in DC after he returned,” the complaint said. “Tipsters shared screenshots from Casselman’s Facebook account which confirmed that he was in the area of Washington during the time of Jan. 6.”

After the riot, Casselman made multiple online searches for topics such as statute of limitations for assaulting a federal officer, the punishment for assaulting a federal officer, the definition of a domestic terrorist and “how long does Verizon keep text messages,” according to court records.

After Jan. 6, 2021, Casselman deactivated his Facebook account and cut his long hair and beard to avoid identification, witnesses told the FBI, the complaint said.

In addition to surveillance video, other evidence against Casselman included geolocation and time data from Casselman’s cellphone and his email account. Although Casselman’s face was covered by a scarf in most images of him, FBI agents managed to identify him not only through tipsters and geolocation devices, but also by a prominent wart on the back of his left hand, the complaint said.

Casselman’s attorney, Renae Alt-Summers, of Columbia, declined comment.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting this case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina provided valuable assistance, a government press release said.

The FBI’s Columbia and Washington field offices identified Casselman as BOLO (Be on the Lookout) #363 on its seeking information photos.

In the 38 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,358 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 486 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office. The investigation remains ongoing, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office. .

Anyone with tips concerning the Jan. 6 riots can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

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