Rioter Who Brought Gun Loaded With Hollow-Point Bullets into Capitol Admitted He’d ‘Be Here for Another Reason’ If He Had Found Pelosi

A Capitol rioter pled guilty to multiple federal charges on Friday, admitting to assaulting police officers with a baton he stole from one of them and bringing a loaded gun with him into the Capitol. He acknowledged he could have ended up in even more serious trouble, telling federal investigators he would “be here for another reason” if he had been able to find Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) during the riot.

Mark Mazza, a 57-year-old Indiana man, originally denied any wrongdoing but video footage showed him swinging the stolen baton as he battled with law enforcement officers attempting to defend one of the Capitol tunnels. He also took the stolen baton with him when he drove home to Indiana. Video clips also showed Mazza holding open a door to assist other rioters who were attacking police and shouting “We own this house!” multiple times.

According to CNN, Mazza was caught after he filed a false police report claiming the baton was stolen from his car:

Federal investigators found Mazza after he falsely reported the weapon he brought to the riot was stolen on January 8, 2021, claiming it was taken from his car at an Ohio casino. He later told investigators he fabricated the claim because he feared member of Antifa might find the gun and his name was “all over it.”

In the plea agreement, Mazza said that he wore a holster under his shirt to carry a revolver loaded with shotgun and hollow-point bullets as he attended the “Stop the Steal” rally at the ellipse and then later on the Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, 2021, but lost the weapon at some point before he grappled with the police in the tunnel.

Vice President Mike Pence was a major focus of the rioters’ fury, for refusing to block certification of the Electoral College votes, but Pelosi was a target as well, with rioters chanting “Nancy! Nancy!” as they swarmed through the Speaker’s offices. Mazza told the feds he wished he had been able to find her, phrasing it as admitting he would “be here for another reason” if he had encountered the California Democrat.

CNN’s Jake Tapper mentioned Mazza’s case at the beginning of The Lead Friday, commenting that Mazza “showed no remorse” and his case “does not sound like the peaceful protests, the tourists that some GOP lawmakers insist actually were there on January 6th.”

Mazza is facing up to twenty years imprisonment for the charges against him.