A man has been found not guilty of engaging in disorderly conduct during the 2021 Capitol riot because he appeared to be waved into the building by a police officer.
CCTV footage captured inside the Capitol’s upper west terrace on 6 January 2021 appears to show officers stepping aside to allow protestors to enter the building.
Matthew Martin was one of the people captured on film, and a judge used the footage when acquitting Martin of all charges.
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Take a look at the footage below:
Martin, a government contractor from New Mexico, was found not guilty by US District Judge Trevor McFadden - who was nominated by former president Donald Trump - on Wednesday.
He was charged with four federal misdemeanours accusing him of illegally entering the U.S. Capitol and engaging in disorderly conduct.
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The three-minute CCTV footage was used in the trial and at around the 1.44 mark, an officer standing next to a stairway appears to direct protestors with his arm.
The MailOnline has reported that McFadden ruled it was ‘reasonable for Martin to believe that outnumbered police officers allowed him and others to enter the Capitol’.
McFadden also told the court that Martin’s actions were ‘as minimal and non-serious as anyone who was at the Capitol that day’.
The paper adds that Martin insisted during his testimony: “If the cops weren't letting people in, I would not have gone in.”
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He also described the day as ‘magical’, adding: “It was a magical day in many ways. I know some bad things happened.”
Martin also insisted he simply ‘went with the flow’ as the pro-Trump mob stormed the building during the attempted insurrection.
A spokesperson for the United States Capitol Police told UNILAD: "We cannot confirm or discuss any potential investigations."
On 6 January 2021, Trump delivered a speech to supporters in Washington and around 15 minutes in, urged supporters to march into the Capitol to refuse the ‘brazen and outrageous election theft’.
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The march turned fatal - with five people dying and over 140 police officers becoming injured as a result. Back in January of this year, which marked a year since the riot, a police officer on duty during the Capitol attack spoke to LADbible about the terrifying ordeal.
Officer Winston Pingeon was patrolling the Senate area of the Capitol when fellow Police Officer Sicknick and four other protestors died during the brutal riot.
Speaking at the beginning of the year, Pingeon recalled: “I was struck in the face and then knocked back. I was on my back and my helmet had come down, or someone was on top of me and I just couldn’t see anything.”
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Winston said it was at that moment he realised: “I might not make it home alive today.”
Speaking a year on, Winston said he still struggles to comprehend how badly the situation spiralled out of control.
Topics: Donald Trump