Proud Boy says he took riot shield for protection on Jan. 6

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST and MICHAEL KUNZELMAN
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Proud Boy far-right extremist group member whose smashing out of a window at the U.S. Capitol allowed some of the first rioters to enter the building has testified he acted alone. Dominic Pezzola is one of five Proud Boys facing seditious conspiracy and other charges in one of the most high-profile trials to emerge from the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection. He’s the second defendant to take the stand, a potentially risky legal move as the long-running trial inches to a close. He said Wednesday that he took a police riot shield to protect himself from rubber bullets and smashed the window without thinking through exactly what he was doing.