TOMBALL, Texas — A Tomball man was taken into custody Monday after he allegedly assaulted law enforcement officers with bear spray during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
He has been identified as 50-year-old William Hendry Mellors. His charges, which are felony and misdemeanor offenses, include assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers using a dangerous weapon, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
According to court documents, Mellors traveled from Houston Hobby Airport on a Southwest Airlines flight to Baltimore, Maryland on Jan. 5. He admitted to FBI investigators that he attended the pro-Trump rally on Jan. 6 and joined protestors as they made their way to the Capital that day.
Mellors and other protestors became combative with officers at the Capitol and Mellors was caught on surveillance cameras using a chemical substance to attack officers, that appeared to be a commercially available bear spray, said the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Court documents read the substance he sprayed appeared to be yellow in color and emitted from a light-colored can with a bright orange/red top. FBI investigators identified the can to be bear spray and the label on the can said the spray was not to be used on humans, according to court documents.
Mellors was identified through photographs and other evidence. In a voluntary interview with the FBI on May 31, 2022, Mellors admitted he brought two canisters of bear spray with him to Washington on Jan. 6.
Mellors returned to Houston the day after the Capitol riot.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said in the 18 months since the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, more than 850 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol.
The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with tips is asked to call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.