Its been over a year since the horrific Jan. 6 Capitol riots, yet investigations are still ongoing. Hundreds of people across the country have been arrested in connection to the failed coup, with even more awaiting their sentencing. Most recently, the FBI arrested a man Tuesday who partook in the riots while he was out on bail for attempted murder. That’s right: A North Carolina man stormed the Capitol while out on bail for attempted first-degree murder, NBC News reported.
The man, identified as Matthew Beddingfield, was on bail for allegedly shooting a 17-year-old in the head in a Walmart parking lot in 2019. At the time of the incident, Beddingfield was 19 years old.
While his bail was initially set at $1 million, he secured a pretrial release when his bail was lowered to $100,000. After storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, Beddingfield pleaded guilty to a lesser charge in connection with the shooting. According to NBC News, he was on probation in the shooting case when he was arrested on Tuesday.
Now in addition to being on bail for attempted murder, Beddingfield is facing charges related to the riot including felony charges of assaulting officers, impeding officers during a civil disorder, and carrying a deadly or dangerous weapon on restricted Capitol grounds, according to court records. He has also been charged with several misdemeanors.
According to HuffPost, Beddingfield was identified in March 2021 through the facial recognition website PimEyes. Using the site, investigators matched a video from the riot to his mug shot. In the video, Beddingfield held an American flag as he fought with police officials. Because he was wearing a gray hat at the time and threw up a Nazi salute, he was dubbed "#NaziGrayHat" until the facial recognition technology identified him.
An affidavit signed by an FBI special agent credits citizen investigators and HuffPost with identifying Beddingfield.
“Beddingfield was associated with two hashtags: #SoggyKidInsider (possibly because he is pictured emerging from the Capitol covered in what appears to be a liquid), and #NaziGrayHat (possibly because he appeared to make a gesture that is commonly associated with the Nazis),” the affidavit read.
The affidavit also shares details on Beddingfield's actions inside the Capitol, including the fact that he “entered through the upper west terrace door, made his way through the rotunda, attacked an officer with his flag while near the Old Senate Chamber, and eventually left through the north door at the Capitol,” NBC News reported.
In addition to using the site, investigators used Facebook posts by Beddingfield's father, Jason Beddingfield, who attended the Trump rally with his son prior to the insurrection, to identify him. According to NBC News, Jason Beddingfield posted photos and videos from the rally that depicted his son wearing the same Nike sneakers and carrying the same flag pole as he did during the Jan. 6 insurrection.
In an interview with HuffPost, Jason Beddingfield claimed his son was not present at the riot. "I mean, there's a lot of doppelgangers in the world, isn't it?" he said. "All technology is not foolproof, is it?"
At this time Jason Beddingfield is not facing any charges even though he, too, was seen on restricted Capitol grounds. According to NBC News, he was seen hopping over a fence restricting access to the Capitol grounds while carrying a pro-Trump flag, in a Facebook post talking about taking “the country back” on Jan. 6.
Matthew Beddingfield is set to appear in federal court in the Eastern District of North Carolina; a date has not been confirmed.
As of this report, more than 725 people have been arrested in connection with the Jan. 6 insurrection. Online face recognition systems have helped to identify hundreds. Last month the U.S. Justice Department said that more than 225 defendants have been charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding police officers, Reuters reported. Approximately 140 police officers were assaulted that day.
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