Harford County's Robert Reeder Pleads Guilty In U.S. Capitol Riot Attack
WASHINGTON, D.C (WJZ) -- A Harford County man pled guilty on Wednesday to a federal charge, admitting his involvement in the storming of the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Robert Reeder pled guilty to count 4 of his indictment and will be sentenced on August 18 at 2 p.m. In the last six months, multiple Maryland residents have been linked to the attack. Hundreds of people from all over the country have been charged.
Reeder was identified using facial recognition software in February, according to the Harford County State's Attorney's office who tipped off the FBI about his identity on Jan. 7 shortly after they saw a poster with pictures of some of the rioters.
Documents said Reeder contacted federal investigators through his lawyers on Jan. 19 with a compilation of videos taken by him on his cell phone showing himself storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Reeder who was wearing a Make America Great Again hat said several minutes into the video, "We've been getting tear-gassed -- thousands of people."
Then once he's inside the Capitol, he's heard asking an officer for water.
"Is there anywhere where I can get water?" An officer responds: "We don't have any water in here, sir. There's some outside."
In one video you can hear him telling a Capitol Police Officer "you should retreat," as the officer is assaulted on video.
Later, Reeder captures himself as he leaves the building.
"I'm leaving now, I got tear-gassed at least four times inside the Capitol," Reeder said. "I saw the lady they say got shot, I walked right past her in a pool of blood. And it's just completely crazy in there."
Reeder told the camera he was one of the last people out.
"Got shot with pepper balls. It was f****** nuts!" he said. "We had to do battle with the police inside. It was crazy, absolutely insane."
Reeder could face a maximum sentence of six months in prison. He will also be fined.
Newly released footage shows the body-worn camera video of Michael Fanone, a DC Metropolitan Police officer. He told CBS he was brutally attacked. Fanone suffered a mild heart attack and brain injury the day of the attack.
"I was tortured I was beaten I was stuck with a taser multiple times at the base of my skull and I posed no threat, Fanone said. He has been trying to unite the Democrats and Republicans in Congress ever since.
The fear for Fanone was that rioters would harm members of Congress if the groups crossed paths. He said the group who attacked the Capitol need to know what they did was wrong.
"As an American, I believe very strongly in a two-party system, and right now one of those parties has a cancer and we need to cut it out," said Fanone.
