South FL Man Sprayed Officers With Chemicals During Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol Breach: DOJ

PLANTATION, FL — A South Florida man faces multiple charges after being accused of spraying law enforcement officers with chemical irritant during the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol breach.

Barry Ramey, 38, of Plantation was part of the mob that breached the building and disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress that met to count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election, according to a Department of Justice news release.

He is charged with assaulting, resisting or impeding officers with a dangerous weapon; civil disorder; engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds with a dangerous weapon; and other offenses.

Ramey was among a crowd of rioters illegally gathered at the west side of the Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021, the DOJ said. Just before 2 p.m., several U.S. Capitol police officers tried to block their access to the stairwell leading from the Lower West Terrace to the Upper West Terrace of the building.

While part of a group pushing the officers back and up the stairwell, Ramey sprayed two of them in the face and eyes with an orange substance that is consistent with pepper spray, the DOJ said. Both officers said the spray disoriented them and impaired their vision.