A Pennsylvania man accused of assaulting police officers with a lead pipe, poles, a bottle and debris as they defended the U.S. Capitol from rioters on Jan. 6, 2021 has been arrested and faces federal charges.
The FBI arrested 31-year-old Joshua Lee Atwood in Burgettstown, Pa. on Wednesday. He made his first appearance in federal court the same day, according to court records.
The charging document outlines “multiple instances of Atwood attacking law enforcement officers” during a brutal battle for control of a tunnel leading into the Capitol. Sedition hunters who identified Atwood through open-source video nicknamed him #LeadPipeGuy, and the government alleges he threw a lead pipe that bounced off a Metropolitan D.C. officer’s riot shield and then hit an assisting Virginia State Police trooper in the head and neck.
The FBI has had Atwood’s name for at least a year. In May 2023, a sedition hunter cited Atwood by his nickname as being among a group of violent Jan. 6 offenders whose names were provided to the FBI “many months ago” but had yet to be arrested. At the time, Atwood was wanted on warrants for armed robbery and malicious assault stemming from an alleged attack on a restaurant owner in West Virginia. He was arrested in Pennsylvania in May 2023.
Raw Story featured Atwood in a story published earlier this month as an example of people suspected of committing violent crimes at the Capitol whose names had been turned over to the FBI but had yet to be arrested.
In addition to throwing a lead pipe at officers, the charging document alleges that Atwood hit officers with a long wooden pole, threw a long silver pole that struck an officer inside the tunnel, used a stolen U.S. Capitol Police riot shield to bump an officer’s shield, and threw a bottle that struck an officer at the back of the tunnel, along with other debris.
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“Every one of you should be ashamed of yourself,” Atwood told the officers, according to body-worn camera video cited in the charging document. “Every one of you mother---ers are pieces of s---. Betraying your country like this, why would you betray your country? Do you love your country, or do you want civil… communist f---.”
Atwood faces multiple federal charges, including two counts of assaulting officers, one with a deadly or dangerous weapon; two counts of physical violence; and disorderly and disruptive conduct.
An attorney appointed to represent Atwood could not immediately be reached for comment.
Magistrate Judge Kezia O.L. Taylor ordered Atwood to remain in custody until his detention hearing, set for April 24. The government requested detention, arguing that Atwood is a danger to the community and a flight risk.
