Wheat Ridge man accused of attacking police at Jan. 6 Capitol riot

Heather Willard
·3 min read
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DENVER (KDVR) — A Wheat Ridge man was arrested Wednesday and accused of assaulting law enforcement, among other charges, during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

According to the FBI Denver, Matthew James Melsen, 34, is charged in Washington, D.C., with felony offenses of civil disorder and assaulting, resisting or impeding officers. Melson is also facing several misdemeanor offenses that include:

  • Entering and remaining in restricted buildings or grounds

  • Disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds

  • Engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds

  • Impeding passage through the Capitol grounds or buildings

  • Act of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or building.

The breach of the U.S. Capitol disrupted a joint session of Congress convened to certify that year’s presidential election results. Federal reports show that at least 17 people with Colorado ties have been arrested and charged in connection to events of that day.

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The FBI arrested Melsen on Wednesday in Wheat Ridge. Melsen made his initial court appearance in the U.S. District of Colorado.

According to the FBI, in the 37 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,313 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states in crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol. This includes more than 469 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.

An FBI surveillance photo of a man in a black hat with white lettering that says "Keep America Great."
An FBI surveillance photo of a man in a black hat with white lettering that says "Keep America Great."

Court documents allege confrontations with police on Jan. 6

According to court documents, Melsen was identified in police body-worn camera footage from Jan. 6, 2021, at approximately 2:15 p.m. as he arrived at the bike rack barricades. The racks were separating a crowd of rioters from the U.S. Capitol building on the West Plaza of Capitol grounds, according to FBI Denver.

Court documents state that Melsen can be seen wearing a white T-shirt over a red long-sleeve T-shirt, a navy coat, jeans and a black baseball hat with white lettering that read “Keep America Great.”

The court complaint alleges that Melsen reached over the bike rack barricades and pushed a Metropolitan Police Department officer, and the officer responded by pushing Melsen away from the barricades and into the crowd.

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This led Melsen to charge at the officer with both hands outstretched, pushing the officer in the chest. Melsen was again pushed back toward the crowd and sprayed with pepper spray, according to court documents. After this, Melsen moved back into the crowd of rioters and out of view.

Court documents allege Melsen was part of tunnel conflict

Melsen can allegedly be seen later in an open-source video as he climbed onto the inaugural stage scaffolding erected on the Capitol’s West Plaza grounds. The court documents allege that by 3:54 p.m., Melsen had made his way to the archway at the mouth of the Lower West Terrace Tunnel.

The tunnel, created by the inauguration stage’s construction, was the site of some of the most violent attacks against law enforcement that day. The FBI alleges that rioters battled with law enforcement for hours in an attempt to storm the Capitol building at the tunnel.

At 3:55 p.m., a Metropolitan Police Department officer climbed on a ledge and prodded a rioter attempting to climb into the tunnel and on top of officers. According to court documents, the prodding was an alleged attempt to stop the rioter.

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A separate rioter allegedly grabbed the stick and tried to pull it away from the officer, when Melsen allegedly also grabbed the stick, holding it with enough force that eventually it broke. Court documents state that the other rioter used the broken part of the stick to strike officers’ shields, yelling, “Let us in.”

Seconds later, another officer attempted to use a baton to stop the rioter from attacking police. The court complaint alleges that Melsen also tried to grab that officer’s baton.

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.

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