PULASKI, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A Pulaski man pleaded guilty to a charge stemming from his participation in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Riley Kasper, 24, was convicted of a felony offense of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers or employees.
According to prosecutors, Kasper was seen on surveillance video taking part in the riot.
“One of the videos shows that person spraying an aerosol canister of what is believed to be pepper spray toward federal law enforcement officers (U.S. Capitol Police and Metropolitan Police Department (‘MPD’) officers) that were standing between the Capitol building and the rioters,” the criminal complaint states.
Other images from law enforcement show a person believed to be Kasper holding what appears to be pepper spray. Kasper’s financial records show fuel purchases on a route between Wisconsin and Washington, D.C. area between Jan. 5-7. His Facebook page shows a variety of photos from the trip, as well.
Also cited are private messages he allegedly sent, discussing his actions:
“I pepper sprayed 3 cops so bad they got undressed and went home, gently brazed many others several times. I basically organized my own little militia and we (expletive) took over Congress”
“I mean the rest of the crowd gave support, but as you see in that video it was my group that busted the first gate and kept chasing the cops down and pushing them back into the capital”
“We got inside the capital then they started shooting rubber bullets at peoples heads, even when me and another guy were carrying a barely conciliatory dude with blood dripping off his knees from his head to the ambulance they kept shooting at the back of the 3 of us.”
Kasper is set to be sentenced Dec. 18.
