WASHINGTON — On Tuesday, Ryan Taylor Nichols, a Marine Corps veteran from Longview, Texas, who was armed with a crowbar and deployed pepper spray against police during the January 6 Capitol breach, entered a guilty plea for two felony counts.
Appearing before U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth, Nichols admitted to obstructing an official proceeding and assaulting, resisting, or impeding police. As part of his plea agreement with the Justice Department, Nichols was promptly returned to custody. He had been temporarily released last year by another judge to prepare for trial.
Nichols, who established a search-and-rescue non-profit post his Marine Corps service, had been indicted in 2021 alongside another Texan, Alex Harkrider, for their alleged involvement in the Capitol riot. Originally facing seven counts, including additional felony charges for carrying a dangerous weapon, Nichols opted for a plea deal, admitting guilt to a reduced felony count of assaulting police to avoid a weapons enhancement.
“I make no excuses,” Nichols asserted during the hearing, acknowledging his actions on that fateful day.
