Matthew J Huttle, a 42-year-old Indiana man recently pardoned by President Donald Trump for his role in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, was fatally shot during a traffic stop in Jasper County, Indiana, on Sunday evening.
The shooting occurred after an altercation with a sheriff’s deputy who attempted to arrest him, according to the Indiana State Police.
The deputy stopped Huttle on State Road 14 around 4:15 pm (local time) and attempted to arrest him for undisclosed reasons. During the interaction, police say Huttle resisted arrest, leading to a scuffle.
Authorities confirmed Huttle was armed, but specific details about the altercation and the circumstances surrounding the firearm’s involvement remain unclear. As per the Washington Post, Huttle had been arrested multiple times since his initial charges in connection with the Capitol riot.
The deputy involved in the shooting has been placed on paid administrative leave, following standard protocol. Jasper County Sheriff Patrick Williamson extended condolences to Huttle’s family, stating, “Any loss of life is traumatic to those close to Mr. Huttle.”
Huttle pleaded guilty in 2023 to a misdemeanour charge of entering restricted grounds during the Capitol riot. Prosecutors described him as “at the forefront of violence” during the event, helping to breach police lines and roam the Capitol searching for members of Congress. Huttle served six months in jail—double the average sentence for similar charges—and was released in July 2024, according to The Guardian.
President Trump pardoned Huttle and nearly 1,600 others involved in the January 6 riot on his first day back in office, citing a campaign promise to provide clemency to those he referred to as political prisoners.
Huttle travelled to Washington, DC, with his uncle, Dale Huttle, who was also charged with participating in the riot. While Matthew recorded videos inside the Capitol, his uncle assaulted law enforcement with a flagpole, earning a 30-month prison sentence. Dale was released last week under the same round of pardons.
In interviews with FBI agents, Matthew Huttle expressed no remorse for his actions, claiming he was there to document potential government corruption. He also alleged the FBI was responsible for instigating the riot, suggesting some attackers displayed “too much training to be civilians,” as per the New York Post.
Huttle’s shooting comes amid heightened scrutiny of Trump’s pardons for January 6 participants. Experts and law enforcement have warned that such pardons might embolden further acts of political violence. Another pardoned rioter, Daniel Ball of Florida, was recently rearrested on federal gun charges stemming from his actions before and during the Capitol attack, according to The Guardian.
