Walter Joseph Wentland (U.S. Attorney’s Office).
An individual identified as a member of a New York chapter of the Proud Boys, known as “Buzzsaw”, has been taken into custody for reportedly challenging police officers and trespassing at the U.S. Capitol amidst the chaos of the January 6, 2021, unrest.
Walter Joseph Wentland, aged 31, faces charges that include felony obstruction of law enforcement in the midst of a civil disturbance, trespassing on restricted grounds, disorderly conduct, and demonstrating within a Capitol structure, as per an announcement by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Court records indicate that Wentland was pinpointed in photos and videos from that day in Washington, D.C., participating in a march towards the Capitol edifice alongside other members of the Proud Boys. He was observed donning a black helmet and vest adorned with insignias representing Proud Boys, Three-Percenter, and “Taxation is Theft”, according to prosecutors.
Wentland was identified marching in front of a row of officers inside a restricted area and allegedly shouted through a bullhorn at cops: “Where’s your f—ing oath?” “Your values mean nothing,” and “We used to back the blue, but now you’re Oathbreakers and we can’t stand you.”
At least twice near the northwest stairs of the Capitol, Wentland grabbed two officers, then moved onto the Upper West Terrace and entered the building through the Senate Wing Door at about 2:26 p.m., officials said. Inside, Wentland went down a hallway, turned around and exited the building at 2:29 p.m., authorities said.
He was arrested on Friday in New York after a fellow Hudson Valley Proud Boy identified him to the FBI through photos posted at the Capitol that day, according to court documents. The tipster called the defendant by his nickname, “Buzzsaw,” and said he often used a megaphone to start public chants, the document said.
The FBI corroborated the defendant’s identity from another witness who worked with him at Stewart International Airport in New Windsor between 2019 and 2023, authorities said. The witness told agents the defendant was very opinionated and bragged to his colleagues at the airport that he went to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021, according to court documents.
The defendant is among a string of alleged Proud Boys caught storming the Capitol.
Recently, Law&Crime reported about a former Army captain and Proud Boys member from Florida who was sentenced to one year behind bars for his role in helping organize the Jan. 6 riot. Law&Crime also reported about the imprisoned former leader of the Proud Boys, Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, who clashed with a prosecutor and judge and refused to answer questions while testifying at the trial of a police officer accused of leaking information to him about a warrant for his arrest. Another Proud Boy who stormed the Capitol recently berated a Barack Obama-appointed judge and got his sentence reduced.
In the 47 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,570 people have been charged with crimes related to the Capitol breach, officials said.
