North Carolina Man Sentenced For Assaulting Officers During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach

Defendant Used Chemical Irritant Against Officers, Also Used a Baseball Bat to Shatter a Window

            WASHINGTON – A North Carolina man was sentenced today for assaulting law enforcement officers with a dangerous weapon – chemical spray – during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.

            Aiden Henry Bilyard, 20, of Cary, North Carolina, was sentenced to 40 months in prison for assaulting MPD officers using a dangerous weapon. Bilyard pleaded guilty on October 20, 2022, in the District of Columbia. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Reggie B. Walton ordered 36 months of supervised release, and $3,500 in restitution.

            According to court documents, on Jan. 6, 2021, at approximately 2:35 p.m., Bilyard was among a crowd of rioters illegally gathered in the Upper West Plaza of the Capitol grounds. He carried a gold-colored canister of “home defense pepper gel.” Bilyard pointed the nozzle of the canister at officers who were attempting to prevent the mob from proceeding further towards the Capitol Building. He then discharged the chemical irritant towards the group of officers. Immediately after he sprayed the irritant, Bilyard and other rioters overwhelmed the police line, causing the officers to retreat through a stairwell to the Lower West Terrace.

            Bilyard also went to the Lower West Terrace. At approximately 4:10 p.m., he was in a group of rioters massed in front of a glass window to the Capitol Building. While there, he encouraged an individual who was striking the window with what a metal tomahawk. Bilyard was handed a bat, which he used to shatter the lower glass portion of the window. He then turned to face the crowd and clapped and shouted in an act of encouragement for people to start entering the building. Bilyard also entered the Capitol by crawling through the window that he had shattered.

            Bilyard was arrested on Nov. 22, 2021.

            This case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina.

            The case was investigated by the FBI’s Charlotte Field Office. Valuable assistance was provided by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the Metropolitan Police Department, and the U.S. Capitol Police.

            In the 26 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 999 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 320 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing. 

            Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.