Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 34
- Location
- Newport News, Virginia
- Charges
- Civil Disorder; Assaulting, Resisting, Impeding Certain Officers Using a Dangerous Weapon and Inflicting Bodily Injury on Certain Officers; Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds with a Deadly or Dangerous Weapon Resulting in Significant Bodily Injury; Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds with a Deadly or Dangerous Weapon Resulting in Significant Bodily Injury; Engaging in Physical Violence in a Restricted Building or Grounds with a Deadly or Dangerous Weapon Resulting in Significant Bodily Injury; Disorderly Conduct in the Capitol Grounds or Buildings; Act of Physical Violence in the Capitol Grounds or Buildings
- Case status
- Pleaded not guilty; Dismissed in part or full
Case Summary
Federal prosecutors allege that on Jan. 6, 2021, Matthew Stallings sprayed an orange substance from a canister towards police officers in the Lower West Terrace Tunnel of the U.S. Capitol building. Closed-circuit television from the tunnel showed officers reacting painfully to the spray, and court documents claim that the substance was oleoresin capsicum, or "OC Spray." Asked in an open-source video later that day whether Stallings had "planned for this," he replied "Yes." Stallings was arrested on Feb. 7, 2024, in Newport News, Va.
Case History
Stallings pleaded Not Guilty to all charges. Jury Trial set for 2/24/2025. 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
Case summary, charges, procedural updates and image are drawn from the NPR Jan. 6 archive snapshot dated 2026-09-25 unless otherwise indicated.