Tyler Bradley Dykes, a man previously convicted of burning a tiki torch at the Unite the Right rally in 2017, has recently pleaded guilty to assaulting two police officers at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Dykes, originally from South Carolina and a former Marine, admitted to two felony charges related to the Capitol incident. According to his plea agreement, he faces up to eight years in prison and will be sentenced in July. Dykes previously faced legal consequences for his involvement in the 2017 Unite the Right rally, where he pleaded guilty to burning an object with intent to intimidate. The South Carolina man was arrested for the 2017 incident in 2023, sentenced to five years with most of it suspended, except for six months.
Upon his release, he was arrested for the Capitol assault crimes. Dykes was also linked to Telegram channels discussing voter fraud allegations and advocating violence to overthrow the government. He partook in the Capitol rioting on January 6, jostling with police and grabbing a riot shield.
Acting in concert with the mob, he chanted “treason, treason, treason” and obstructed officers near the Senate chamber. Using a riot shield as leverage, Dykes resisted police efforts until more crowd control measures were utilized. Dykes’ attorney has declined to provide commentary on the plea deal.