Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 52
- Location
- Salisbury, Maryland
- Charges
- Civil Disorder; Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building; Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building
- Case status
- Pleaded not guilty; Dismissed in part or full
Case Summary
Carlos Ayala was seen in video footage at the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021, wearing an American-flag hoodie and American-flag face mask, according to court documents. In the footage, Ayala climbed over police barriers on the building's Upper West Terrace at approximately 2:16 pm that day. Subsequent closed-circuit television showed Ayala outside the Senate Wing Door as protesters breached that entrance, and federal investigators suggest that he may have thrown a flagpole at officers through an open window. He was arrested in Maryland on Jan. 9, 2024.
Case History
Ayala pleaded Not Guilty to all charges. Jury Trial set for 6/2/2025. On 1/21/2025, 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
Case summary, charges, procedural updates and image are drawn from the NPR Jan. 6 archive snapshot dated 2026-09-25 unless otherwise indicated.