LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Another Kentuckian has been charged for his involvement in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol Jan. 6. Arrested in Pennsylvania, 48-year-old Peter Schwartz faces five federal charges, including assaulting an officer.
The FBI said a video uploaded to YouTube by Action 8 News shows "rioters chanting, throwing things, striking officers, and spraying substances such as bear spray and mace at the group of officers."
In a tip to the FBI, a friend identified Peter Schwartz as one of the men in the video. In a criminal complaint, the FBI said Schwartz can be seen getting a black canister from another person before spraying an orange substance directly into an officer's face.
The YouTube video was compared to body cam footage from the officers to confirm the timeline. The two officers shown in the video also came forward, saying they had been maced multiple times that day.
According to the complaint, the friend who tipped off the FBI said Schwartz wasn't supposed to be in the Capitol in the first place, saying he was actually supposed to be at a rehabilitation center in Owensboro after being released from prison early due to COVID-19.
There was a bench warrant put out for his arrest for violating probation in Daviess County Jan. 28. Schwartz has 14 previous arrests in Kentucky, including harassment, domestic violence, possession of a handgun by a felon and terroristic threatening — all from 2019. That terroristic threatening charge came after he allegedly threatened to kill his girlfriend and her son.
Schwartz is currently being held in Pennsylvania and faces charges for assaulting an officer, two counts of entering a restricted building, obstructing law enforcement and violent entry on Capitol Grounds.
According to court records, a motion was also filed to keep Schwartz from being released. A judge has not ruled on the motion at this time.
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