Newly filed court documents accuse West Valley Fire Rescue Chief Frank Dahlquist of pepper spraying and assaulting police at the U.S. Capitol during the January 6, 2021 riot.
A warrant was issued for Dahlquist’s arrest on January 4, 2024. He made his initial appearance at federal district court in Great Falls on Wednesday. A criminal complaint and statement of facts have been filed with the court. There are no charges at this time.
According to court documents, Dahlquist was allegedly captured on video and images from multiple entities at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, including security cameras and officer-worn body cameras.
Read the full complaint:
In 2021, Dahlquist lived and worked as a firefighter in Monroe, Washington. He took over as West Valley’s fire chief in November 2022.
Investigators submitted pictures and video they say show Dahlquist, with his face covered, allegedly spraying “an orange-colored chemical agent” directly into the face of a police officer.
Prosecutors also allege he was captured on a body-worn camera allegedly assaulting another police officer.
Dahlquist is further accused of entering the Capitol Building and remaining in the building for around half an hour and remaining on the Upper West Terrace for around another hour.
A text message from a phone allegedly taken from Dahlquist stated: “It was a great day!! It got spicy but I love the taste of freedom.”
Dahlquist was identified after a federal agent reviewed a King 5 news story with the firefighter. Federal agents said his former supervisors at the fire station he worked at in Issaquah, Washington positively identified Dahlquist from pictures taken at the U.S. Capitol.
MTN reached out to West Valley Fire Rescue who said they were caught off guard by the situation, were unaware of the allegations and do not have further comment at this time.
This is a developing story.
