# Matthew Huttle

Matthew W. Huttle was an American man who participated in the January 6 United States Capitol attack. In August 2023, Huttle pleaded guilty to entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, a misdemeanor. In November 2023, he was sentenced to six months in federal prison followed by 12 months of supervised release.
On January 20, 2025, the first day of the second presidency of Donald Trump, Huttle was pardoned along with nearly every other participant in the Capitol riot.
On January 26, 2025, less than a week after he was pardoned, Huttle, aged 42, was fatally shot during a traffic stop in Rensselaer, Indiana. The shooting is under investigation.

## Biography

Huttle was a journeyman carpenter and a father of two. He was a resident of Hobart, Indiana.
According to Huttle's lawyer in his January 6 case, Huttle had a 15-year struggle with alcoholism that began when he was a teenager. Huttle's mother died in April 2023, and the mother of his son died of a fentanyl overdose in 2022. In 2015, Huttle was shot in the back of his knee, and in 2018, he was attacked with a hammer and a baseball bat by his mother's boyfriend. Huttle suffered from chronic arthritis, emphysema, and late-stage cirrhosis as a result of his excessive drinking.
At the time of his death, Huttle had at least 13 criminal convictions, including his federal charge for his involvement in the Capitol attack. He had a history of driving offenses, including a 2005 conviction for driving while intoxicated; his most recent case was opened in May 2022.
Huttle pleaded guilty to a battery case from Lake County, Indiana, in 2010, admitting to spanking his son "so hard that he left bruises all over the child's backside". He was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison and was released on May 12, 2013.

### January 6 United States Capitol attack

Huttle participated in the January 6 United States Capitol attack along with his uncle Dale Huttle. The Huttles traveled from Indiana to Washington, D.C., to attend the "Stop the Steal" rally, subsequently marching to the United States Capitol. In response to Matthew pointing out numerous police officers protecting the Capitol, Dale suggested bum rushing the building.
By 2:00 p.m., the Huttles arrived at the Capitol, where Dale yelled at and berated officers, assaulting several of them with a flagpole, causing one to suffer a slipped disc and another to fall down a set of stairs. After breaching the West Plaza with other rioters, Dale grabbed and yanked an officer's gas mask and baton. Both Huttles remained on Capitol grounds until after 5:00 p.m. Dale Huttle was arrested in Crown Point, Indiana, on November 9, 2022, while Matthew Huttle was arrested in Boise, Idaho, on November 28.
In a court filing, Matthew Huttle's defense attorney stated that "[Huttle] is not a true believer in any political cause" and "went to the rally because he thought it would be a historic moment and he had nothing better to do after getting out of jail". The document also stated that Huttle's uncle had asked Huttle to drive with him to Trump's rally in Washington, D.C., shortly after Huttle was released from jail on his most recent DUI. According to prosecutors, when FBI agents interviewed Huttle, he told them that "his only purpose of being at the Capitol was to record video to show possible government corruption".
Huttle accepted a plea agreement in August 2023, pleading guilty to entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, a misdemeanor that carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison, a fine of $100,000, and 18 months of supervised release following imprisonment. In November 2023, he was sentenced to six months in federal prison followed by 12 months of supervised release. The average misdemeanor jail sentence for January 6 defendants was two months. Huttle was released in July 2024.
On December 8, 2023, Dale Huttle pleaded guilty to one count of assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers using a dangerous weapon and causing serious bodily injury, a felony. He was sentenced to 30 months in prison followed by 24 months of supervised release, as well as being ordered to pay $3,639 in restitution.
On January 20, 2025, the first day of the second presidency of Donald Trump, both Huttles were pardoned along with nearly every other participant in the Capitol riot.
Matthew Huttle was arrested at least four times since the Capitol attack. He was due in court on February 10, 2025, for his most recent case.

### Killing

On January 26, 2025, six days after he was pardoned, Huttle, aged 42, was fatally shot during a traffic stop in Rensselaer, Indiana. According to the Indiana State Police, Huttle's vehicle was stopped near the Pulaski County line by a deputy with the Jasper County Sheriff's Department around 4:15 p.m. Huttle had a firearm in his possession and resisted arrest, resulting in the deputy shooting him. The deputy involved in the shooting was placed on administrative leave, per the department's policy for police-involved shootings. The shooting is under investigation.
Huttle had been pulled over for speeding and was not allowed to operate a vehicle due to being labeled a "habitual traffic violator" by the state of Indiana.