Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 20
- Location
- Covington, Kentucky
- Charges
- Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Certain Officers Using a Dangerous Weapon; 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; Act of Physical Violence in the Capitol Grounds or Buildings; Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building
- Case status
- Pleaded guilty; Dismissed in part or full; Sentenced
- Presidential action
- Pardon
Case Summary
Federal prosecutors allege that Nicholas James Brockhoff assaulted law enforcement officers outside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, by spraying a fire extinguisher from a terrace above members of the Metropolitan Police Department and the Capitol Police who were trying to hold back rioters. As a result, prosecutors say, Brockhoff "caused law enforcement to disperse, and obstructed law enforcement’s ability to see." Surveillance footage allegedly shows Brockhoff then entering the Capitol through a broken window. Later, according to body camera footage described in court documents, Brockhoff was seen wearing a police officer's helmet. Brockhoff also allegedly joined rioters in "making a forced entry" into a Republican conference room inside the Capitol. Brockhoff was arrested in Tennessee on May 27, 2021.
Case History
Brockhoff pleaded Guilty to one charge: Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Certain Officers Using a Dangerous Weapon. The other charges are dismissed. Sentenced on 5/25/2023 to 36 months incarceration; 36 months supervised release; $2,700 restitution; special assessment of $100. Brockhoff received a full pardon on January 20, 2025
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.