Oregon Man Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Officers During Capitol Breach
WASHINGTON – An Oregon resident admitted guilt today to charges of assaulting law enforcement officers during the January 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. The incident disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress, which was convened to certify the electoral votes from the 2020 presidential election.
Andy Steven Oliva-Lopez, 27, from Milwaukie, Oregon, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers. U.S. District Judge Loren L. AliKhan presided over the hearing and will sentence Oliva-Lopez on January 17, 2025.
According to court documents, Oliva-Lopez traveled from his Oregon home with a friend to participate in the “Stop the Steal” rally held on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2021. After the rally, Oliva-Lopez moved toward the Capitol and arrived at the West Plaza, which was overwhelmed by rioters at the time. There, Capitol Police and Metropolitan Police Department officers were attempting to hold defensive lines and prevent the rioters from advancing further into the building.
At approximately 2:04 p.m., Oliva-Lopez, wearing a full-face respirator mask, sprayed orange-colored bear spray at the faces and heads of officers on the West Plaza. Over several minutes, he repeated this act on three separate occasions. Eventually, the crowd breached police barricades and advanced to the Capitol’s exterior façade, an area where they were not lawfully permitted to remain. At this time, the certification proceedings were still in progress, and the Capitol’s exterior doors and windows were secured.
Oliva-Lopez, along with other rioters, climbed a stone balustrade next to temporary scaffolding set up for the inauguration. This area was within the restricted perimeter of the Capitol grounds and not open to the public.
The FBI arrested Oliva-Lopez on January 23, 2024.
This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon also provided valuable assistance.
The investigation is being conducted by the FBI’s Portland and Washington Field Offices, which identified Oliva-Lopez as BOLO (Be on the Lookout) #285 through its seeking information photos. Additional support was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.
Since January 6, 2021, more than 1,504 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the Capitol breach. Over 560 individuals have been charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.
