A North Carolina man, identified as Brett Alan Rotella (also known as Brett Ostrander), has been arrested for his alleged involvement in forcefully entering the U.S. Capitol during the 2021 insurrection. The arrest took place on Tuesday and Rotella now faces felony and misdemeanor charges, including assaulting law enforcement, as announced by the Justice Department on Wednesday.
According to authorities, Rotella was among the rioters who led the charge towards retreating police officers. As rubber bullets were fired at his feet, he protectively walked backward into a hallway that leads into the Capitol building from the Lower West Terrace.
Surveillance footage from inside the walkway shows Rotella appearing to lead others inside while carrying a flagpole. Once inside, he seized police riot shields and repeatedly pushed against officers to force his way into the building through a smashed glass door.
After being sprayed in the face with a chemical spray, Rotella retreated out of the walkway. However, about an hour later, he returned to join a crowd effort to force rioters into the walkway against the police.
The FBI identified Rotella after posting his photo on their website, seeking assistance in identifying him. He was traced to a residence in Kannapolis and an Aldi grocery store. As of Thursday, he did not have legal representation.
It is noteworthy that over 1,106 individuals have been arrested in connection with the Capitol incident, with more than 350 of them facing charges of assaulting or impeding law enforcement, according to the Justice Department.
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