New Jersey Man Accused of Spraying Police Officers with Chemical Irritant in 2021 Capitol Attack Appears in Court

Police – Accident – Death – Obituary News : A fresh report has emerged regarding the recent court appearance of Gregory Yetman, a New Jersey man accused of spraying police officers with a chemical irritant during the 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Yetman, 47, appeared in federal court on Monday, where he was ordered to be held without bail until his trial date.

During the hearing, the FBI presented photos that allegedly showed Yetman spraying the liquid on officers during the riot that took place on January 6, 2021. The accused was assigned a federal public defender to represent him during the proceedings.

Yetman faces several charges, including assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers; obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder; entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds; engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds; and committing an act of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings, according to the FBI.

During the court appearance, an affidavit from an undisclosed FBI officer was unsealed, which contained photos from body-worn cameras of officers from Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department. These images allegedly depict Yetman spraying the liquid towards a group of officers during the riot. The FBI has confirmed that the liquid used by Yetman was a chemical irritant.

The affidavit also revealed that on January 14, 2021, the Army’s Criminal Investigation Command received information that Yetman, who is a National Guard member, had confessed his presence at the Capitol riot through a series of Facebook posts.

In one of the submitted posts, Yetman expressed his support for the President and his love for the country, while condemning the alleged corruption and fraud that he believed had taken place during the election. However, he also acknowledged that the events at the Capitol were unfortunate and unacceptable.

Yetman claimed he had positioned himself between the rioters and those who were peacefully protesting against the election results. He expressed remorse for the incident, particularly towards law enforcement officers, stating, “To my brothers and sisters in blue, I’m sorry for what happened at the Capitol. We’re better than that.”

On January 22, 2021, Yetman was interviewed by FBI agents, where he admitted being present at the Capitol but claimed he was only trying to assist individuals exposed to chemical irritants by pouring water into their eyes.

Contrary to his claims, the photos included in the affidavit presented by the FBI clearly showed Yetman spraying a stream of liquid at officers. The FBI identified the liquid as MK-46H, a type of chemical irritant commonly used by law enforcement.

According to the FBI special agent, another rioter had initially used the canister to spray police officers before placing it on the ground. Yetman then picked up the canister and sprayed its contents at officers for a duration of 12 to 14 seconds.

The federal public defender assigned to represent Yetman did not provide an immediate comment, and previous attempts to reach Yetman at his residence were unsuccessful.

Last week, authorities had visited Yetman’s home in Helmetta, New Jersey, to arrest him, but he managed to evade capture by fleeing into a nearby wooded area. However, Yetman peacefully surrendered on Friday.

It is worth noting that Yetman’s case is just one among approximately 1,200 people who have been charged with federal crimes related to the Capitol riot. Of those charged, over 800 have either pleaded guilty or been convicted, with more than 700 individuals already sentenced. These sentences have ranged from as short as three days to as long as 22 years.

Wayne Parry, reporting for The Associated Press, contributed to this article..