A North Carolina man, Matthew Jason Beddingfield, has been sentenced to over three years in prison for assaulting police officers during the January 6th Capitol riot. At the time of the riot, Beddingfield was already facing charges for the attempted murder of a teenager in 2019, whom he allegedly shot in the head. During the Capitol attack, the 22-year-old used an American flag pole as a weapon against officers and was photographed giving a Nazi-style salute. He pleaded guilty to assaulting, resisting, or impeding police and received a sentence of three years and two months, followed by two years of supervised release.

Beddingfield, who was 20 at the time of the January 6th events, traveled to Washington D.C. with his father to attend the "Stop the Steal" rally. After the rally, he and his father separated as they joined the mob of Trump supporters moving toward the Capitol building. Beddingfield's assault on officers occurred on the West Plaza, where he threw a broken piece of the flagpole at an officer after using it as a weapon.

Following the attack, he entered the Capitol and joined other rioters in assaulting a group of police officers inside. He retreated after being hit with a chemical irritant and then entered the office of then-House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, where he washed his eyes in a drinking fountain before exiting the building. Beddingfield had previously pleaded guilty to assault in the 2019 North Carolina shooting and received a sentence of two years probation. Reports indicate that Beddingfield’s defense in the shooting claimed he acted after being robbed.

A search of Beddingfield's home uncovered eight firearms and over 2,000 rounds of ammunition. Investigators also found images on his phone including swastikas, Hitler memes, and other white supremacist content. Messages on his phone reportedly revealed deeply prejudiced views against various minority groups. A year after the riot, Beddingfield posted on Instagram expressing his desire to "reclaim America," even if it meant harming his "enemies." Over 1,000 individuals face federal charges related to the Capitol riot, with over half of those sentenced receiving prison time.