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Spring man gets 30 months in prison for fighting officers during Jan. 6 Capitol breach

Joshua Lollar, of Spring, was sentenced to 30 months in prison, a year of supervised release and was ordered to pay restitution of $2,000.

WASHINGTON — A Texas man was sentenced to more than two years in prison for his role in the Jan. 6 United States Capitol breach.

Joshua Lollar, of Spring, was sentenced to 30 months in prison as well as a year of supervised release and restitution of $2,000.

Lollar, an Army veteran, pleaded guilty to the felony charges he was facing. His actions disrupted a joint session of Congress that had convened to verify what happened during the 2020 presidential election.

Editor's note: The Department of Justice initially said Lollar was sentenced to 13 months in prison, but later corrected the sentence to 30 months.

What happened

On Jan. 4, 2021, Lollar left his home in Spring and headed to Virginia. He brought a backpack, gloves, gas mask, body armor vest, AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and his concealed carry permit.

While he was driving to Arlington, he texted a friend/family member: "I'm about to head to D.C. We are going to try and save the country." He also sent another message: "God has called me here for something. I think this is a start to something much bigger."

On Jan. 6, 2021, he showed up for a rally for then-President Donald Trump at the Ellipse. After the rally ended, he followed the crowd to the U.S. Capitol.

When he got there, he put on his gas mask, body armor and gloves, according to the Department of Justice. Just before 3 p.m., he and a mob of others entered the Capitol and headed to the Rotunda. Their purpose was reportedly to disrupt then-Vice President Mike Pence's certification of the 2020 election.

Around 3.05 p.m., Lollar was pepper-sprayed by police officers, but he reportedly continued to fight them while he and a group of rioters tried to penetrate the Capitol.

According to the Department of Justice, Lollar proudly bragged about his escapades. He used his phone several times, both inside and outside the Capitol, to take pictures and videos of what was happening. He even posted on social media. The post read: "Yeah, I'm good. Just got gassed and fought the cops that I never thought would happen."

He eventually left the Rotunda around 3:12 p.m. He proudly raised his gas mask above his head to celebrate his efforts. He left the Capitol building at about 3:20 p.m.

Lollar's case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. In the 28 months since the breach of the Capitol, more than 1,000 people have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the incident. More than 320 people have been charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.

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