Proud Boys defendant testifies in seditious conspiracy trial and says police agitated mob on January 6

The Proud Boys offender implicated of bursting the window that rioters initially utilized to storm the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021, informed a federal jury today that he wished to take obligation for his actions however likewise blamed policeman for upseting the crowd that day.

Dominic Pezzola, who affirmed today in the months-long trial versus himself and 4 other members of the reactionary Proud Boys charged with conspiring to stop Joe Biden from ending up being president, informed the jury he acted alone and there was no conspiracy with the other offenders.

All 5 offenders have actually pleaded innocent.

” I’m taking the stand today to take obligation for my actions on January 6,” Pezzola affirmed Tuesday, “and I’m likewise taking the stand to discuss how these males over here that I’m prosecuted with must not be roped into my actions, and to likewise discuss how there was no conspiracy.”.

As he continued to affirm Wednesday, Pezzola’s story moved towards blaming authorities for stirring the crowd by shooting at them with rubber bullets and utilizing flash bangs versus the mob as they neared the Capitol entryway.

Pezzola affirmed he took an authorities riot guard however just to secure himself from the spray of pepper balls and rubber bullets. It was with this guard that Pezzola later on burst the window to the structure.

” My only objective was to secure myself,” he stated of taking the guard. “It nearly seemed like being under sniper fire.”.

Pushed by his lawyer on why he didn’t reverse and leave the location, Pezzola stated that as an ex-Marine, he was conditioned to never ever flee.

” You’re conditioned to not even think of flight action,” he informed the jury. “I think I’m simply set to run towards threat.”.

On breaking the window, Pezzola affirmed he was “captured up in the confusion” including that “it was dumb” and stated he was sorry.

While in the Capitol, Pezzola lit a stogie and took a video.

” Success smoke in the Capitol, kids,” Pezzola stated, according to the video. “I understood we might take this motherf ** ker over [if we] simply strove enough. Happy with your motherf ** king young boy.”.