Montana fire chief who had refused vaccine mandate in Washington state charged in Jan. 6 riot
A Montana fire chief who lost a previous job over a coronavirus vaccine mandate was charged Wednesday with spraying a chemical irritant on police officers during the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Montana fire chief who lost a previous job over a coronavirus vaccine mandate was charged Wednesday with spraying a chemical irritant on police officers during the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Prosecutors say that Frank Dahlquist sprayed “an orange-colored chemical agent” directly into the face of one officer and later sprayed a second officer as supporters of former president Donald Trump attacked the Capitol building, according to court documents.
He was identified in part by matching his distinct facial hair with a photo from the riot to a TV news story about firefighters who were terminated from a fire department near Seattle in April 2022 after the agency required a COVID-19 vaccination, court documents state.
Later that year, Dahlquist was named chief of West Valley Fire Rescue, near Helena, Montana.
