A former New Jersey National Guardsman who was the subject of a two-day FBI manhunt is charged with two felonies and three misdemeanors for allegedly using a high-velocity pepper spray tank to assault police at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
He also faces misdemeanor charges—including entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds, and an act of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings.
Mr. Yetman made an initial appearance in federal court in the District of New Jersey on Nov. 13 and remains in custody.
The FBI conducted a massive manhunt for Mr. Yetman after he ran from his home when an FBI tactical team showed up to arrest him.
After two days at large, he turned himself in at the Monroe Township Police Department on Nov. 10.
A federal arrest warrant signed by U.S. Magistrate Judge Robin Meriweather was issued on Nov. 6.
The Metropolitan Police Department noticed on Jan. 5 that some of its MK-46 pepper-spray tanks had been stolen, the FBI said.
According to security video and MPD bodycam footage, Mr. Yetman aimed the pepper spray at a line of officers for 12–14 seconds before discarding the tank, the court filing said.
At the time, a huge crowd on the plaza was surging forward as the police lines collapsed.
FBI agents met with Mr. Yetman on Jan. 22, 2021.
“Yetman told interviewing agents that he supports law enforcement and that anyone entering the Capitol or assaulting officers should be prosecuted,” the court document stated.
“Yetman further stated that he did not attempt to enter the Capitol.”
Mr. Yetman’s Facebook posts included in court documents state he went to Washington on Jan. 6 to support President Donald Trump.
“As someone who supports our president and loves this country but hates where it’s going thanks to corruption and fraud by a tyrannical governing class, I can’t sit by and do nothing,” he wrote in a post on Jan. 7, 2021.
“I, however, cannot condone the attack on our brothers and sisters in blue. What happened at the Capitol was unfortunate and unacceptable. I was there; I witnessed it.”
At the time of the Jan. 6 protests and rioting, Mr. Yetman was a military policeman with the New Jersey National Guard. He was honorably discharged from the military in March 2022, the FBI said.
In the more than 34 months since Jan. 6, the FBI has arrested more than 1,200 people for alleged felony and misdemeanor crimes at and around the U.S. Capitol.
