FACING THE MUSIC

Capitol Rioter Pleads Guilty to Carrying Loaded Gun and Assaulting Cops

In his plea agreement, Mark Mazza admitted he had a loaded gun at the Capitol and attacked police with a baton.

An Indiana man pleaded guilty on Friday to bringing a loaded gun onto U.S. Capitol grounds and hitting police officers with one of their own batons during the Jan. 6 riot. In a plea agreement signed May 9, Mark Mazza, 57, admitted to carrying a loaded revolver, which he ultimately lost, under his shirt during the riot. He said he later used a police baton he stole to assault a Capitol cop while trying to help more rioters force their way into the building. Mazza initially denied hitting the officer, but caved after video evidence showed him striking the cop with the baton, which he took home with him. Mazza also told federal authorities that he would “be here for another reason” if he had encountered House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that day. He could spend up to 20 years in prison for the officer assault.