Ex-police chief, 5 others charged in Capitol riot conspiracy

A former California police chief and five other men have been indicted on conspiracy charges in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, according to court documents made public Thursday. In late December, one of the men, Russell Taylor, posted in a Telegram chat in response to a question about when to be at the Capitol on Jan. 6: “I personally want to be on the front steps and be one of the first ones to breach the doors!” The six men joined a Telegram chat called “The California Patriots-DC Brigade” along with more than 30 other people ahead of the riot, authorities said. Taylor wrote that the chat was being used to “organize a group of fighters to have each other’s backs” and asked them to identify if they had any pervious law enforcement or military experience or “special skills relevant to our endeavors.” Days before the Capitol breach, Hostetter warned in a post on the American Phoenix Project’s Instagram account that “things are going to come a head in the U.S. in the next several days.” Four of the men — Erik Scott Warner, Felipe Antonio “Tony” Martinez, Derek Kinnison and Ronald Mele— drove across the country together from California to D.C. Warner, Mele and Kinnison appeared via video for a federal court hearing in Riverside where each was ordered released on $25,000 bond, while Martinez was freed on bond at a Texas hearing, authorities said. In the caption, Taylor wrote, “Now getting ready for tomorrow.” As the mob swarmed the Capitol on Jan. 6, Taylor — who authorities say was carrying a knife in a pocket — and Hostetter were part of the group trying to push through a line of officers on the lower West Terrace, authorities say. When they got to the upper West Terrace, Hostetter declared that “the people have taken back their house” while Taylor yelled to the rioters, “Inside!” That night, Taylor boasted in messages about storming the Capitol but said he didn’t go inside because he had weapons, authorities said.