Florida man who called his Jan. 6 arrest 'a bit overdramatic' faces years in prison for assaulting police with pepper spray

Bryan Roger Bishop (Photos from court documents)

A Florida man who told a reporter his arrest was “a bit overdramatic” pleaded guilty to charges he sprayed a chemical irritant at police guarding the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, riots.

Bryan Roger Bishop, 51, admitted to a felony charge of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers. He’s set to be sentenced on Aug. 29.

A statement of facts outlined the case. In his olive-colored beanie, tan neck gaiter covering his face, and a gray jacket, Bishop emerged from the crowd of rioters and sprayed an orange-colored chemical irritant at a line of officers, court documents said.

He hit one Metropolitan Police Department officer in the face and angled a second line of spray upward under a second officer’s face shield, court documents said. The spray temporarily blinded the officer and forced him off the line as he fought through the crowd with his eyes and face burning and was led away by another officer.

The assault earned Bishop the nickname #UnderHelmetSprayer, court documents said.

After the attack, Bishop went into the Capitol building for about 17 minutes. Inside, Bishop appeared to ask for directions several times and checked his cellphone, court documents said.

When the FBI arrested Bishop and his wife, Tonya Bishop, at Marathon City Marina in the Florida Keys on Aug. 8, 2023, he told local ABC affiliate WPLG media that his arrest was “a bit overdramatic.”

“They came in with a tactical team and drones and all kinds of s—,” Bishop told the outlet.

The station reported that the couple told a judge during their court appearances then that they lived on a boat and had few assets.

Tonya Bishop allegedly told her incarcerated son in a recorded phone call two days before the insurrection that she planned to go to Washington, court documents said.

“On the 6th, Trump has called The Patriots together,” she said, according to court documents. “A bunch of us are headed over there.”

She allegedly went into the Capitol that day at 2:19 through the Senate Wing doors carrying flags on flagpoles.

She faces charges of trespassing, disorderly conduct, and illegally demonstrating at the Capitol.

She told WPLG she was innocent.

“Maybe remind your viewers that we are still innocent and due process has not yet been served,” Tonya Bishop said, the station reported.

The post Florida man who called his Jan. 6 arrest ‘a bit overdramatic’ faces years in prison for assaulting police with pepper spray first appeared on Law & Crime .