Jan. 6 defendant who used bear spray at Capitol sentenced

A California man was sentenced to six-and-a-half years behind bars for his participation in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, during which he sprayed police officers with bear spay.

Sean Michael McHugh, 36, of Auburn, Calif., was found guilty on two felony counts of obstruction and assaulting, impeding or interfering with law enforcement officers.

His sentence also includes three years of supervised release after his prison term, a $5,000 fine and $2,000 in restitution.

According to a news release from the Justice Department, McHugh was part of the initial breach of the Capitol grounds. He sprayed a line of Capitol police officers who were guarding a barricade, causing them to lose ground in the initial breach as hundreds of supporters of then-President Trump rushed the area. He used a megaphone to encourage other rioters to similarly attack officers who were trying to secure the area.

Before heading to Washington, McHugh told people he planned to go to the Capitol to “fight” and “storm Congress” to stop the certification of President Biden’s election in the 2020 presidential race, according to the Justice Department.

He later posted on Facebook, “We stormed them and we took Congress.”

Nearly 1,200 people have been arrested in the Capitol attack.