WASHINGTON – A Montana fire chief was arrested Wednesday in connection with the incident January 6 attackaccused of spraying chemical spray “directly in the face” of a Capitol police officer and a Metropolitan police officer.
Frank Dahlquist — a former firefighter in Washington state and defended against vaccination mandates – faces multiple charges, including assault and obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disturbance. He’s the chief of West Valley Fire Rescue in Montana, and he was he swore this role in November 2022.
Dahlquist was identified with the help of online sleuths – or “mischief hunters” — who helped arrest hundreds of Capitol rioters. They nicknamed him the #GreyScaleSprayer and released a high-res photo of him from Jan. 6 to 2022, leading to face recognition. news story Contains a video interview with Dahlquist.
The FBI also identified two of Dahlquist’s supervisors from his Washington job in August 2022 and discovered that his cell phone number had been pinged near the Capitol on Jan. 6, the FBI said in a statement.
The FBI affidavit alleges that Dahlquist partially covered his face when he attacked the officers with the orange chemical spray, and both officers sought medical attention. They say Dahlquist even tried unsuccessfully to throw a piece of wood at law enforcement officers as the crowd approached the Capitol. The FBI said he later entered the building and remained in the area after leaving the Capitol and “continued to communicate with law enforcement.”
According to the FBI, Dahlquist said in a text message after the attack, “It was a great day! It was spicy, but I love the taste of Freedom.”
Arrest was the first informed By Seamus Hughes of Court Watch, which tracks federal court documents. Dahlquist did not immediately return a request for comment from NBC News on Wednesday.
More than 1,200 people have been arrested in connection with the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, and online detectives is defined There are hundreds of other suspects who have yet to be arrested. About 900 people have been convicted so far.