More than three years after the Jan. 6 insurrection, a Utah man accused of using a stun gun against authorities during the U.S. Capitol riot was arrested in Payson this week.
Zach Rash, 24, is facing felony charges of obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder; assaulting, resisting or impeding officers; and inflicting bodily injury, according to a complaint filed last week that was recently unsealed.
According to a news release from the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington, D.C., Rash traveled to D.C. to attend former President Donald Trump’s rally on Jan. 6, 2021, then proceeded to the Capitol “with a crowd of rioters that confronted an established police line.”
Rash — who was at first carrying a fire extinguisher — can be seen on video “among the initial wave of rioters” outside the Capitol building, the release states.
Video evidence then shows Rash enter the Inauguration Tunnel Entrance of the Capitol, where “some of the most violent attacks against law enforcement on January 6th” took place, the release notes.
Specifically, federal prosecutors say footage shows Rash holding a stun gun in the tunnel, where he lunged toward officers with it twice, triggering it “numerous times.”
(U.S. Department of Justice) Zach Rash holding a fire extinguisher outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, prosecutors say.
Rash also “encouraged other rioters to enter and join the ongoing melee” before making it to the front of the mob of rioters in the tunnel, the release states.
Footage continues to show him “yelling at other rioters, apparently encouraging and directing their actions,” as well as “climbing above other rioters” to help pass a police shield and “obstructing officers’ efforts to close a door,” the release states.
In an FBI interview, Rash told investigators he did not bring a stun gun to the Capitol. When shown images of himself holding a stun gun in the tunnel, he told an agent he received the stun gun at some point in the tunnel. Video screenshots of another rioter handing Rash a stun gun in the tunnel were included in the criminal complaint.
After Rash acknowledged receiving the stun gun, he told investigators he “dropped it and didn’t want anything to do with it.” He later said “I don’t think I used it that day” but “it could have happened,” the complaint states.
In addition to the felony counts filed against him, Rash also faces several misdemeanor charges. They include entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds; disorderly and disruptive conduct in such a restricted area; and engaging in physical violence in such a restricted area; as well as disorderly conduct and committing an act of physical violence in a Capitol building.
He was arrested by the FBI on Tuesday, then booked into the Utah County jail and later released.
More than 1,358 people have been charged with crimes related to the insurrection. Rash is the 16th Utahn to be charged.
Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.
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