Proud Boys member pleads guilty to felony in Jan. 6 case

A member of the far-right group the Proud Boys has pleaded guilty to felony charges in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection, according to authorities.

According to a Wednesday Department of Justice (DOJ) press release, Louis Enrique Colon of Blue Springs, Mo., pleaded guilty to a felony charge of obstructing law enforcement officers during the riot. 

Colon and others drove to Washington, D.C., from Kansas City, Mo., before the insurrection after first discussing traveling to the capital on Jan. 6 with other Proud Boys members in December 2020, according to the DOJ.

Colon allegedly brought his handgun with him on the trip but not into Washington. The day before the attack, he and two others entered a local hardware store to purchase an ax handle to be used as both a walking stick and a weapon, the DOJ said.

The department said Colon met with other Proud Boys members at the Washington Monument on Jan. 6, then marched toward the west side of the Capitol.

Colon and others proceeded past the police barricades and onto the Capitol’s West Plaza, climbing up a wall to gain access to a higher level of the Capitol’s exterior, and unlawfully entered the building at approximately 2 p.m., according to the DOJ.

During his roughly 50 minutes in the Capitol, Colon obstructed police officers who were attempting to lower retractable doors to stop rioters from moving further into the building, the DOJ said. He then used his hands to stop one door and placed a chair in its path, letting other rioters enter the portion of the building, per the department.

The DOJ said that Colon was carrying a pocketknife and wearing a backpack, tactical vest, tactical gloves, boots and a helmet adorned with orange tape the day of the riot. 

Authorities arrested Colon a month later in Kansas City. 

This comes as authorities have arrested nearly 800 individuals who were involved in the Capitol riot that resulted in the deaths of five people. More than 250 of those individuals have been charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.

Colon, 45, faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 following his guilty plea. A sentencing date has not yet been determined, authorities noted.