Man Who Brought Guns, Molotov cocktails To Capitol Hill On Jan. 6 Sentenced To 46 Months

An Alabama man was sentenced to 46 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to bringing a truck full of firearms, explosives and other weapons to Washington, D.C., ahead of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Lonnie L. Coffman, 72, of Falkville, was sentenced Friday to nearly four years in prison after he parked his truck less than a half-mile from the U.S. Capitol where, on the afternoon of Jan. 6, a joint session of Congress was scheduled to certify the 2020 presidential election.

In the truck were 11 Mason jars filled with ignitable ingredients for Molotov cocktail incendiary weapons, several unregistered firearms, hundreds of rounds of ammo, a stun gun, machetes and a crossbow with bolts, according to court documents.

“He had almost a small armory in his truck, ready to do battle,” Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly said before sentencing Coffman, according to a CNN report.

During the sentencing, Kollar-Kotelly said she didn’t think “in all my years as a judge I’ve had such a collection of weapons” in a case, adding that Coffman “spent two tours in Vietnam so he certainly knows what napalm can do,” CNN reported.

According to federal officials, Coffman drove his GMC Sierra pickup truck to Washington, D.C., several days prior to Jan. 6. On the morning of Jan. 6, he parked the truck in the 300 block of First Street Southeast, just blocks from the U.S. Capitol.

Coffman also carried a loaded handgun and a loaded revolver as he walked around the area that day, officials said. In a search of Coffman’s Alabama residence later that month, authorities discovered 12 additional Mason jars containing ignitable substances and parts to make Molotov cocktails.

According to officials, Coffman did not have a license to carry a pistol in the District of Columbia and had not registered any firearms or destructive devices.

In November, Coffman, who served in the U.S. Army, pleaded guilty to possession of an unregistered firearm and carrying a pistol without a license. He isn’t accused of entering the Capitol or joining the mob during the riot that day.

Coffman, who has been in jail since his arrest on Jan. 6, 2021, will get credit for time served, CNN reported. He was also sentenced to three years of probation and mandatory mental health treatment.

About J. Williams

Check Also

Francis Scott Key Bridge

Biden Pledges Federal Dollars For ‘entire cost’ To Rebuild Collapsed Baltimore Bridge

Jacob Fischler, Michigan Advance President Joe Biden called Tuesday for the federal government to foot …

Leave a Reply