Former California police chief found guilty of conspiracy over role in Jan. 6

A former California police chief was found guilty Thursday of four felonies, including conspiracy to obstruct Congress, over his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

Alan Hostetter, 56, was convicted of conspiring to obstruct and obstructing an official proceeding, as well as entering a restricted area and engaging in disorderly or disruptive conduct with a dangerous weapon, after defending himself at a bench trial.

According to the U.S. attorney’s office for the District of Columbia, Hostetter “coordinated and conspired” with several other rioters from California to travel to Washington, D.C., for the certification of the 2020 presidential election. 

On Jan. 6, the 56-year-old carried a hatchet in his backpack as he breached a police line and made his way to the upper west terrace of the Capitol. 

He later posted a photo of himself on the terrace on Instagram, saying, “This was the shot heard round the world!…the 2021 version of 1776. That war lasted 8 years. We are just getting started.”

U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth noted Hostetter’s past career in law enforcement as he handed down his ruling Thursday. Hostetter briefly served as chief of police in La Habra, Calif., according to NPR. 

“No reasonable citizen of this country, much less one with two decades of experience in law enforcement, could have believed it was lawful to use mob violence to impede a joint session of Congress,” Lamberth said in court, according to The Washington Post. 

“Belief that your actions are for a greater good doesn’t negate consciousness of wrongdoing,” the judge added.