Former Air Force recruit who pepper sprayed officers on Jan. 6 pleads guilty

A 20-year-old North Carolina man is heading straight to jail Friday after pleading guilty to assaulting law enforcement officers with pepper spray during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack. 

Aiden Henry Bilyard of North Carolina pleaded guilty in federal court in Washington, D.C., Friday, admitting to assaulting the officers, according to the plea agreement. He also used a bat to shatter a window during the assault. 

Federal Judge Reggie Walton dismissed pleas from Bilyard's attorneys to allow him to return home ahead of his sentencing in February. Instead, he immediately sent Bilyard to jail, according to the Raleigh News & Observer. Bilyard was 18 at the time of the attack.