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1st person to breach U.S. Capitol grounds on Jan. 6 released from custody in NYC

Ryan Samsel walks free after previously being found guilty of assault in Jan. 6 riot
Ryan Samsel walks free after previously being found guilty of assault in Jan. 6 riot 03:02

NEW YORK — The first person to breach the U.S. Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, 2021 walked out of federal custody Tuesday morning in Brooklyn.

More than 1,500 people who participated in the Jan. 6 riot are now either pardoned, have their sentenced commuted or have their cases dismissed under President Donald Trump's executive order.

Ryan Samsel walks free after previously being found guilty of assault

Prosecutors said Ryan Samsel was the first to breach the perimeter. He was facing up to 20 years in prison after being found guilty of assault. Video shows the moment crowds toppled the barricade outside the Capitol on Jan. 6, knocking Officer Caroline Edwards unconscious.

On Tuesday, Samsel walked free.

"No phone call, no money, no nothing. They just kicked me out," he said.

He was set to be sentenced in February after spending three years behind bars.

"I mean, when is enough enough? I think that if I did commit crimes that day, they should've been paid for by now," he said.

Samsel also said he's been abused in custody and hasn't gotten medical attention.

"I've been beaten. My right eye still doesn't work," he said.

Prosecutors say he's making up the abuse claims in order to file a lawsuit. They claim he snuck a camera into a broom closet and staged photos.

Samsel says there's a lot of issues in prison and he wanted to speak with Trump about it.

Before Jan. 6, prosecutors say Samsel was a felon with an extensive history of violence, particularly against women.  

Samsel says he was "nonviolent"

"Would you say you did commit crimes that day?" CBS News New York investigative reporter Mahsa Saeidi asked.

"If I did, I would say maybe a civil disorder, maybe a misdemeanor," Samsel said.

"When you breached the perimeter, what was the plan at that point?" Saeidi asked.

"Just stay there and wave my flag. I didn't go in the building, nor would I," Samsel said. "If you look at the videos, I was nonviolent."

Prosecutors say Samsel was immediately confrontational that day, berating one officer and pulling riot gear off another.

In 2022, Edwards testified before a House committee.

"And I was pushed backwards ... At that point, I had blacked out, but my, the back of my head clipped the concrete stairs behind me," she said. "What I saw was just a war scene."

"Would you like to apologize to the Capitol police officers from that day?" Saeidi asked Samsel.

"Sure, yeah. I think that they had a job to do and... there's a video of me shaking the cop's hand that I allegedly assaulted. We shook hands," Samsel said.

Samsel, a barber from Philadelphia, is now heading back home.

"Love you, Mr. Trump," he said.

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