Indiana man pardoned last week by Trump is fatally shot during traffic stop

[Thiệu Ngô]

An Indiana man who was recently pardoned for his participation in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot was shot and killed during a traffic stop by a sheriff’s deputy Sunday.

By Associated Press

Matthew Huttle, 42, was involved in a traffic stop at 4:15 p.m. by a Jasper County sheriff’s deputy, authorities said in a news release. It alleged that Huttle resisted arrest and was found to have a firearm on him.

“An altercation took place between the suspect and the officer, which resulted in the officer firing his weapon and fatally wounding the suspect,” the release said.

Sheriff Patrick Williamson requested an investigation by the Indiana State Police. The deputy was placed on paid administrative leave in accordance with department policy, Williamson said.

“Our condolences go out to the family of the deceased as any loss of life is traumatic to those that were close to Mr. Huttle,” Williamson said in a statement. “I will release the officer’s name once I have approval from the State Police Detectives.”

No additional details were provided.

Huttle was identified by the Jasper County coroner, who completed an autopsy Monday morning.

Huttle was one of many people identified as having taken part in the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in which hundreds of President Donald Trump’s supporters broke into the building in an attempt to stop the counting of electoral votes in the 2020 presidential election.

Court records show Huttle entered into an agreement with federal prosecutors in August 2023, pleading guilty to a charge of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds. He was sentenced in November 2023 to six months in federal prison, followed by 12 months of supervised release.

That was rendered moot this month when Trump pardoned roughly 1,500 people who were involved in the Jan. 6 riot last week after he was inaugurated.

According to the complaint, Huttle was at the Capitol that day with his uncle, and investigators obtained videos uploaded to his own Google account of him there. He could be heard in one of his videos saying that a group of people were going to the Capitol and that he was “going to see if we can get inside.”

He was identified on security video inside the building, including inside the Capitol’s crypt, the complaint said.

Huttle’s uncle also agreed to a plea deal, court records show, and was sentenced to 30 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. The complaint says he was identified on video assaulting officers with a flagpole on the steps of the Capitol.

He was also pardoned.