In a significant development, a Texas man, David Rene Arredondo, aged 48, from El Paso, pleaded guilty today to multiple felonies and misdemeanors in connection with the breach of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Arredondo's actions and those of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.

Arredondo pleaded guilty to eight counts, including two felony charges of civil disorder and assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers. Additionally, he admitted guilt to six misdemeanor offenses, such as entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct, engaging in physical violence, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, act of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings, and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building.

U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth is set to sentence Arredondo on May 3, 2024.

Court documents and various sources, including open-source images, videos, and U.S. Capitol surveillance footage, depicted Arredondo inside and around the U.S. Capitol building on the fateful day. Arredondo had traveled from El Paso, Texas, with others and stayed in the Capitol Hill area.

Video footage from January 6th showed Arredondo physically pushing bike rack fencing against officers attempting to prevent the crowd from entering the East Plaza. He was also seen making physical contact with a police officer who was trying to stop rioters from entering the Capitol building. Arredondo grabbed and pulled the arm of a police officer surrounded by a mob of rioters, leading to another officer being pulled away and falling to the ground.

Inside the Capitol building, additional footage captured Arredondo entering via the East Rotunda Doors and remaining inside for nearly 35 minutes.

Arredondo was arrested by FBI agents on October 26, 2022, in El Paso. The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division's Counterterrorism Section. The FBI’s El Paso Field Office and the West Texas Joint Terrorism Task Force are leading the investigation, with assistance from other agencies, including the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

In the 35 months since the events of January 6, 2021, over 1,230 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol. This includes more than 440 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing, and individuals with tips are encouraged to contact 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.