Matthew Huttle, Just Pardoned By Trump For Actions On Jan. 6, Shot Dead During A Traffic Stop By Police After Resisting Arrest

An Indiana man who was fatally shot during a traffic stop has been identified as Matthew Huttle, a Jan. 6 defendant recently pardoned by President Donald Trump.

Last week, Huttle was involved in a traffic stop at 4:15 p.m. by a Jasper County sheriff’s deputy, authorities stated in a news release. The news release said that he was pulled over by the deputy on Indiana State Road 14 near the Pulaski County line. It also noted that the shooting victim resisted arrest and had a gun in his car.

“An altercation took place between the suspect and the officer, which resulted in the officer firing his weapon and fatally wounding the suspect,” the release stated.

Sheriff Patrick Williamson asked the Indiana State Police to investigate. According to Williamson, the deputy was placed on paid administrative leave in accordance with department policy.

“Our condolences go out to the family of the deceased as any loss of life is traumatic to those that were close to Mr. Huttle,” the sheriff said in a statement. “I will release the officer’s name once I have approval from the State Police Detectives.”

Huttle was identified by the Jasper County coroner, who finished an autopsy on Monday morning.

Eight months after saying he would think about pardoning all of the convicted Jan. 6 Capitol rioters on a “case-by-case” basis, Trump issued more than 1,500 pardons for rioters like Huttle shortly after his inauguration.

Court records reveal that Huttle entered into an agreement with federal prosecutors in August 2023, pleading guilty to entering and staying in a restricted building or grounds. 

In November 2023, he was sentenced to six months in federal prison and one year of supervised release.

The complaint states that Huttle was at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, with his uncle, and investigators acquired videos uploaded to his Google account of him inside the building for 16 minutes. 

In one of his videos, he can be heard that a group of individuals were going to the Capitol and that he was “going to see if we can get inside.”

According to the complaint, the pardoned Jan. 6. defendant was identified on security video inside the building, including inside the Capitol’s crypt.

In 2021, his defense attorney, Andrew Hemmer, said in a court filing that he went to the rally because he believed it would be a historic moment and he had nothing better to do after getting out of jail over a driving offense.

“He is not a true believer in any political cause,” Hemmer claimed at the time.