Troopers arrest man accused of bear spraying and threatening reporters at Capitol protest
State Patrol arrested a 26-year-old Seattle man Tuesday who is accused of assaulting and threatening journalists during a Jan. 6 protest at the Capitol Campus.
Thurston County prosecutors charged Damon Huseman with two counts of second-degree assault and one count of felony harassment on Jan. 11. Superior Court found probable cause and issued a warrant for his arrest that same day.
With the help of Seattle Police, troopers arrested Huseman without incident and booked him into Thurston County jail, according to a news release. In addition to the county charges, the release notes Huseman also was arrested on suspicion of criminal trespass in connection with the protest on Jan. 6.
Huseman was one of hundreds who gathered on the state Capitol Campus on Jan. 6 in support of President Donald Trump. That day, a large group of protesters managed to get through the gate to the Governor’s Mansion and refused to disperse. Law enforcement eventually walked the crowd off the mansion grounds just before 3:30 p.m.
Before the protest, Huseman allegedly bear sprayed two journalists near the intersection of 11th Avenue and Capitol Way South. He is also accused of verbally threatening to shoot another journalist.
An affidavit of probable cause reconstructs law enforcement’s investigation into Huseman and gives the following account:
About noon Jan. 6, Huseman allegedly approached a photographer who was setting up his camera at the intersection of 11th Avenue and Capitol Way South. Huseman, who reportedly wore a mask and carried an assault rifle, told the photographer that he didn’t want media at the protest, according to court documents.
The photographer refused to leave and Huseman reportedly pulled out a canister of what he called bear spray, the documents read. When the photographer still refused to leave, Huseman allegedly sprayed him in the face.
The spray disoriented the photographer, prompting him to ask an unknown passerby for help. The passerby helped flush out the photographer’s eyes with water and the photographer later left the area, unable to complete his job, according to court documents.
Another reporter arrived at the Capitol Campus shortly after the photographer was sprayed, the documents read. This reporter told investigators that when he walked across Capitol Way to the Helen Sommers Building, Huseman began yelling at him to leave because he was media.
As the reporter turned to leave, he said Huseman sprayed him in the face, causing disorientation and pain. He told investigators he returned to his office to get help from co-workers and was incapacitated for over two hours.
Later that day, Huseman spotted another reporter and asked her if she was media, according to court documents. The reporter confirmed and said Huseman told her to leave. She told investigators he told her he had sprayed two other members of the media earlier.
Video evidence shows Huseman lunged at this reporter’s phone as she used it to videotape the protest. She told investigators that Huseman said he planned to shoot and kill her and other members of the media “within the coming year,” according to court documents.
All three journalists contacted State Patrol to identify Huseman with their own photos and social media posts, the documents read.
