Montana Fire Chief Charged Shooting Police Officers In The Face With Chemical Spray During Jan. 6 Capitol Riot

A Montana fire chief was arrested on Thursday in connection to the January 6 Capitol riot. He is accused of shooting chemical spray directly in the face of officers on that day.

Frank Dahlquist, a former Washington State firefighter, has been charged with assault and obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder, among other numerous charges. Dahlquist is the current chief of West Valley Fire Rescue in Montana, a position he was sworn into on November 2022. He was identified with the help of “sedition hunters,” a group of online sleuths who have helped the FBI in the January 6 manhunt.

The FBI had two leads on Dahlquist – supervisors at his job in Washington helped identify him and they found that his cellphone activity located him near the Capitol on January 6.

“It was a great day!! It got spicy but I love the taste of Freedom,” Dahlquist wrote in a text message. 

On January 6, Dahlquist had his face partially covered with a gray neck gaiter and was wearing a black 1776 hoodie and khaki pants. He allegedly attacked officers with orange chemical spray and threatened to throw a block of wood at police.

More than 1,200 people have been arrested in connection with the January 6 Capitol riot and nearly 900 have since been convicted.

Last week, a leader of the Florida Republican party was charged for her role in the riot.

In August, former President Donald Trump was charged with four federal counts in connection with his actions on January 6 and leading up to that day.