Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Location
- West Virginia
- Charges
- Civil Disorder; Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Certain Officers; Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Engaging in Physical Violence in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Act of Physical Violence in the Capitol Grounds or Buildings
- Case status
- Pleaded not guilty; Dismissed in part or full
Case Summary
Brian Holmes, a West Virginia resident who worked for the Arlington County, Virginia, Fire Department at the time of the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack, was accused of participating in confrontations with police on the Capitol's west side. According to an FBI statement of facts filed August 23, 2024, investigators identified Holmes from public videos, police body-worn camera footage, photographs, tips, and interviews with two former coworkers. The FBI alleged that at approximately 1:48 p.m., near the Northwest Steps, Holmes reached toward and grabbed U.S. Capitol Police Officer CC while the officer was being pulled toward a crowd during a struggle at the police line. A photograph reproduced in the sworn affidavit is described as showing Holmes's gloved hand grabbing the officer. Investigators alleged that Holmes then advanced up the steps after rioters overran the police line and gestured for others to follow. Later, Metropolitan Police body-camera footage allegedly showed Holmes confronting Sergeant BP on the Lower West Terrace around 2:20 p.m., approaching close enough that the sergeant used an arm to block him. The FBI attributed statements to Holmes including, 'Y'all asked for this, you know that right' and 'Y'all gonna have a long ass day.' Holmes was arrested September 13, 2024, and faced six federal charges, including civil disorder and assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers. These were prosecution allegations, not findings of guilt. Holmes pleaded not guilty to all charges; on January 23, 2025, the court dismissed the case with prejudice, and he was not convicted in this case. The FBI affidavit also identifies the public-video hashtag #greypuller used during the investigation; this was an investigative identifier, not a separate criminal charge.
Case History
Holmes pleaded Not Guilty to all charges. On 1/23/2025, the court grants the government’s motion to dismiss the case with prejudice
Sources
- Primary Documentation
NPR Jan. 6 Defendant DatabaseNPR - Primary Documentation
Underlying court recordCourt record linked by NPR - Primary Documentation
FBI statement of facts: Brian Holmes, filed August 23, 2024U.S. District Court, District of Columbia (RECAP mirror)2026-10-24
Case summary, charges, procedural updates and image are drawn from the NPR Jan. 6 archive snapshot dated 2026-09-25 unless otherwise indicated.