National Security

Trump supporter who brought 11 Molotov cocktails to Jan. 6 rally pleads guilty

A 71-year-old Alabama man who allegedly brought firearms and 11 Molotov cocktails to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot pleaded guilty to weapons charges during a Friday hearing at a U.S. district court.

Lonnie Coffman’s red GMC Sierra pickup truck, parked near the Capitol on Jan. 6, was found to contain hundreds of rounds of ammunition and a trove of weapons, including an assault rifle, a crossbow and stun gun. He was arrested on Jan. 6 after the rally and indicted on 14 counts in January.

Coffman pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of an unregistered firearm for the 11 Molotov cocktails — a cooler of jars filled with rags and ignitable substances — and to unlawfully carrying a pistol without a license in Washington, D.C.

But the rest of his charges were dropped as part of the plea agreement with the Department of Justice.

Coffman, who has been in custody since his arrest on Jan. 6, faces a separate charge in Alabama for possession of 12 additional jars filled with ignitable substances in his house.

His sentencing in U.S. district court is scheduled for April 1.

Coffman is an ardent support of former President Trump, and his truck contained a handwritten note quoting Abraham Lincoln about overthrowing “the men who pervert the constitution.”

Coffman is the latest to plead guilty in connection with the Jan. 6 riot. More than 675 people have been charged for storming the U.S. Capitol to protest the election, which they claimed was stolen from Trump.