Texas man fired at police before surrendering to FBI for Jan. 6 charges: officials

A Texas man charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol allegedly shot at law enforcement ahead of his first court appearance and has been hit with an additional federal firearm charge, officials said. 

Nathan Pelham, of Greenville, Texas, has now been charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm, in addition to the four misdemeanor counts related to his alleged participation in the Jan. 6 Capitol breach, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas said in a release. According to the attorney’s office, Pelham, 40, is a previously convicted felon.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia charged Pelham with the Jan. 6 misdemeanors earlier this month. An FBI agent notified him of the charges on April 12 and told him to self-surrender five days later, which he agreed to do, according to the release. 

But on the night of the April 12, local law enforcement went to Pelham’s residence for a welfare check “in response to a call from a relative, who advised deputies that Mr. Pelham had a gun,” the release reads. 

Deputies allegedly “heard gunshots emanating from the residence” upon arrival. An hour later, Pelham “walked onto the porch and allegedly fired towards several deputies, who could be heard on body-worn camera video noting bullets ‘whiz’ by them.”

According to the attorney’s office, Pelham was asked to put his gun down but “continued to waive it” and reentered his home — he then exited his home again that night and allegedly fired multiple rounds.

“A subsequent search of Mr. Pelham’s home revealed a Smith & Wesson 9mm pistol and four boxes of ammunition, as well as several 9mm sized holes in the walls,” the release notes.

If convicted, Pelham could face up to 15 years in prison on the gun charge and three years on the misdemeanors.

The Department of Justice has sought to crack down on Jan. 6 participants and reports more than 1,000 individuals have been arrested for related crimes, including more than 320 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.