NC man accused of stealing police shield in Jan. 6 attack on US Capitol
A Rutherford County man referred to on social media as "#ShieldGrampy" is charged with assaulting law enforcement officers during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot.
Anthony Mastanduno, 60, was arrested Wednesday in Asheville and charged with felony offenses of civil disorder and assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers using a dangerous weapon.
He was also charged with several misdemeanors, including:
- Knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority
- Disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds
- Engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds
- Disorderly conduct in a Capitol building
- Act of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings
- Parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building
Court documents state Mastanduno was nicknamed "#ShieldGrampy" on social media because photos show the gray-haired man carrying a stolen police shied.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, surveillance video shows a man identified as Mastanduno wearing a camouflage jacket, backpack, and a red baseball cap with a patch on the bill and “Trump 2020 Keep America Great!”
Mastanduno is accused of entering the U.S. Capitol building through the Senate Wing Door four minutes after the building was first breached.
According to the DOJ, "Mastanduno later traveled outside the Capitol building, engaging with fellow rioters and participating in coordinated attacks on uniformed Metropolitan Police Department officers defending the Lower West Terrace tunnel."
Videos and images taken by others in the crowd show a man believed to be Mastanduno throwing an object at officers and using a baton to strike at officers in a tunnel. Videos and photos also show him with the stolen shield.
In the 31 months since the attack, more than 1,106 people have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol.
More than 350 people have been charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.
