A Uniontown man could face decades in prison after a jury convicted him for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
The Department of Justice said Peter Schwartz, 49, threw a folding chair at police officers and sprayed them with pepper spray that he took from them. He was convicted Tuesday, according to federal officials.
Schwartz later told a friend he “started a riot” by “throwing the first chair,” according to the DOJ, though protesters already had broken through a police line and entered the Capitol before Schwartz threw the chair.
Protesters first overcame the police about 1:30 p.m., while Schwartz threw the chair at a police line about 2:30 p.m.
After Schwartz threw the chair, police say, he stole pepper spray and began distributing it to fellow protesters, including his wife, Shelly Stallings, who pleaded guilty in August.
Related:
• Pittsburgh man charged in Jan. 6 Capitol attack• Mechanicsburg woman found guilty for role in Jan. 6 riot
• Western Pa. people charged in Capitol riot
Schwartz was arrested in February 2021.
At his U.S. District Court trial, Schwartz was found guilty of assaulting, resisting or impeding law enforcement officers using a dangerous weapon, obstruction of an official proceeding and interfering with a law enforcement officer during a civil disorder.
The first and second charges could each land him a maximum of 20 years in prison, while he could face up to five years in prison for the third charge, according to federal officials.
Schwartz’s sentencing likely will take place in early 2023, the Justice Department said.
Two other men were convicted with Schwartz.
Jeffrey Scott Brown, 56, of Santa Ana, Calif., was convicted of one count of felony assaulting, resisting or impeding law enforcement officers using a dangerous weapon and a count of interfering with a law enforcement officer during a civil disorder.
Markus Maly, 48, of Fincastle, Va., was convicted of two counts of felony assault, resisting or impeding law enforcement officers using a dangerous weapon and a count of interfering with a law enforcement officer during a civil disorder.
