Man pardoned by Trump over January 6 riot shot dead during traffic stop
By Michael Levenson
A man who received a pardon from President Donald Trump for his involvement in the 2021 riot at the US Capitol was fatally shot by a sheriff’s deputy after he resisted arrest during a traffic stop, Indiana State Police said.
The state police said a deputy with the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office stopped the man, Matthew Huttle, 42, of Hobart, Indiana, around 4.15pm on Sunday on a state road near the Pulaski County line.
Shot dead by police: Matthew Huttle was last week pardoned over his role in the January 6 riots.Credit: AP
In a statement on the shooting, the state police did not say why the deputy had stopped the vehicle.
“During the traffic stop, the officer attempted to arrest the suspect when the suspect resisted,” the state police said. “An altercation took place between the suspect and the officer, which resulted in the officer firing his weapon and fatally wounding the suspect.”
An investigation showed Huttle “was in possession of a firearm”, the state police said.
The state police said no further information would be released about the shooting, which it was investigating with help from the Jasper County prosecutor. Once the investigation is completed, the findings will be sent to the county prosecutor for review, the state police said.
Jasper sheriff Patrick Williamson said that the deputy who shot Huttle had been placed on paid administrative leave, following standard procedure. He said he would release the deputy’s name once he had the approval of state police detectives.
“Our condolences go out to the family of the deceased as any loss of life is traumatic to those that were close to Mr Huttle,” Williamson said.
Nicholas Barnes, a lawyer who represented Huttle for about 10 years, mostly in driving and alcohol-related cases, said he was “genuinely shocked” that Huttle had been involved in the January 6 riot. He said he was hoping to find out more about what had led to the fatal shooting of his client.
“To my knowledge,” he said in an interview, “Matthew was a non-violent individual, so I know the Indiana police are investigating the encounter and I will be very interested to read their findings.”
Huttle was among the more than 1550 people charged in connection with the January 6 attack who received pardons from Trump last week.
Federal prosecutors said that Huttle, a carpenter, had travelled to Washington with his uncle, Dale Huttle, and had recorded video of the riot as he entered the Capitol.
Matthew Huttle pleaded guilty to entering and remaining in a restricted building, a misdemeanour, in August 2023. He was sentenced to six months in prison, court records show.
Dale Huttle, who used a flagpole to assault law enforcement officers, pleaded guilty in December 2023 to a felony count of assaulting, resisting or impeding officers with a dangerous weapon, causing serious bodily injury. He was sentenced in June 2024 to 30 months in prison, prosecutors said.
In court documents related to the January 6 case, prosecutors said Matthew Huttle had a long history of arrests and convictions for driving while intoxicated.
The scene on January 6, 2021, as supporters of Donald Trump stormed the Capitol building.Credit: Getty
Huttle’s lawyer in the January 6 case, Andrew Hemmer, wrote in court documents that his client started drinking as a teenager and that for nearly 15 years, he drank 12 to 18 beers almost every day.
“Much of Matt’s criminal history and many of the problems in his life in general are directly related to his extreme alcohol abuse,” Hemmer wrote.
Hemmer said Matthew Huttle was “not a true believer in any political movement” but had agreed to drive his uncle to Trump’s rally on January 6, 2021. At the time, Matthew Huttle had just been released from jail after his most recent arrest on a charge of drunken driving, Hemmer wrote.
“Matt’s motivation was for something to do and because he thought it would be a historic event that he could document through pictures and videos,” Hemmer wrote. “His uncle talked to him about politics and stolen elections, but Matt mostly tuned this out as he did not really care.”
Matthew Huttle was a father of two and had experienced “plenty of tragedy and loss” in life, Hemmer wrote.
His mother died in April 2023 and the mother of his son died in 2022 from a fentanyl overdose, Hemmer wrote.
In 2015, Huttle was shot in the back of the knee, and in 2018 he was attacked with a hammer and baseball bat by his son’s mother’s boyfriend, causing extensive injuries, Hemmer wrote.
Huttle’s health had “been rapidly deteriorating over the past few years,” as he suffered from chronic arthritis, emphysema and late-stage cirrhosis of the liver brought on by his excessive drinking, Hemmer wrote.
“He’s a hard worker and often needs to relocate and resettle his life on short notice to find new work,” Hemmer wrote in a sentencing memorandum in November 2023.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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