WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — A St. Petersburg resident and member of the white supremacist group the Proud Boys has pleaded guilty to assaulting law enforcement officers during the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, according to the government.
Zachary Johnson, 34, was arrested by the FBI for his participation in the assault on Jan. 13, 2022. He pleaded guilty in a court in Washington, D.C., to one count of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers. This was a condition of a plea deal as his indictment showed other charges were initially made against him.
Johnson's sentencing is set for Nov. 30.
According to court documents, Johnson admitted his involvement in a statement of offense submitted to the court. He said he marched with the Proud Boys to the Capitol and pushed through Capitol officers and barricades, and he was one of the first members of the crowd to break into the restricted grounds of the building.
Johnson also reportedly admitted to joining other attackers in the lower Lower West Terrace tunnel and helping them try to force their way past police lines near the glass doors. When police pushed them out of the tunnel, Johnson took a police baton an officer had dropped during the struggle and posed for a photo with it.
Then, during a second attempt to push past officers and break into the building, Johnson helped pass a pepper spray can and a sledgehammer to the attackers near the entrance, the government said.
According to data from the Justice Department, over 1,100 insurrectionists have been charged in the Jan. 6 attack, 89 of whom are Florida residents. More than 350 have been charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.
