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Worcester County resident Vincent Gillespie, of Athol, was arrested on Friday, Feb. 18, and charged for allegedly assaulting law enforcement officers during the riot and breach at the Capitol.
According to court documents from at least 4:11 p.m. to at least 4:25 p.m. on Jan. 6, Gillespie was among rioters in the Lower West Terrance of the Capitol who engaged in pushing, shoving, yelling, and fighting with law enforcement officers.
It is alleged that he struggled his way through the crowd, eventually maneuvering through the rioters to the line of police officers defending the Lower West Terrace’s exterior door.
At one point, prosecutors said that he gained control of a police shield as he approached the officers. Gillespie used the shield to ram the law enforcement officers, continuing to scream “traitor” and “treason” at the police.
He also allegedly grabbed a law enforcement officer by the arm and attempted to pull him into the crowd of rioters.
Prosecutors said that at the time of the riot, Gillespie was wearing a sweatshirt with the logo of a Pittsfield fitness club.
They said six witnesses, including a former neighbor and town employees of Athol, where Gillespie “frequently attends meetings,” positively identified Gillespie in surveillance images.
In the 13 months since the Jan. 6 insurrection, the Department of Justice said that more than 750 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the Capitol, including more than 235 who were charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.
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