Capitol rioter accused of attacking a photographer and pulling a stun gun on cops strikes plea deal that could land him in prison for nearly 4 years

• A Pennsylvania pleaded guilty on Monday to participating in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riots.
• Alan Byerly faces years in prison for attacking police and an Associated Press photographer.

A Pennsylvania man accused of participating in the January 6, 2021 riot at the US Capitol accepted a plea deal with prosecutors on Monday that could land him in prison for nearly four years.

Federal court documents show 55-year-old Alan Byerly could face up to three years and ten months in prison after he pleaded guilty to assaulting, resisting, and impeding police, and striking, beating, and wounding a photographer on federal grounds.

Shortly after 2 p.m. on the day of the insurrection, rioters pulled an Associated Press photographer down a flight of stairs outside the Capitol building, court documents show.

After watching the interaction, Byerly joined three other rioters in pushing, shoving, and dragging the journalist, according to the court documents. He then continued to grab, push, shove, and drag the journalist away from the stairs.

Shortly after this, Byerly approached a group of police officers who were forming a barrier, court documents show. Unprovoked, he drew a stun gun — which he purchased before the riots — and activated it, according to the court filings.

Police managed to take the gun from Byerly, who continued to assault them. He eventually grabbed an officer's baton and escaped the scrum with the help of another rioter, according to court documents.

Byerly, who was arrested in June 2021, is set to be sentenced on October 21. He had faced over 8 years in prison on the charges, but prosecutors and his lawyers agreed that a prison sentence of between 37 and 46 months would be appropriate.

He could also face a fine of up to $150,000, according to a plea agreement.

Over 884 people have been arrested and charged with crimes in connection to the Capitol riot, and nearly 330 rioters have entered guilty pleas.

The attack also led to the creation of a House Select Committee to investigate the insurrection, where lawmakers are probing former President Donald Trump's actions before and during the Capitol riot.