Waukesha County Man Accepts Plea Deal In Paintball Attack

WAUKESHA COUNTY, WI —A Waukesha County man who is believed to be a QAnon supporter accepted a plea deal in federal court on Tuesday. Ian Alan Olson, 31, was charged after firing a paintball gun at Army reservists at the U.S. Army Reserve Center in Pewaukee on March 15, prosecutors said.

Olson, 31, of Nashotah was charged in federal court with attacking U.S. servicemen on account of their service and assaulting officers, according to the criminal complaint.

He agreed to plead guilty to an attack on a U.S. servicemen. The charge carries the following maximum term of up to two years in prison, a $10,000 fine, 1 year of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment, according to federal documents.

Olson was earlier charged in Waukesha County Circuit Court with two misdemeanor counts of attempted battery and one count of disorderly conduct. His next court date is Oct. 7 on the charges, according to online court documents.

Olson drove a car spray-painted with QAnon slogans to the reserve center, according to a criminal complaint. He shouted, "This is for America," before shooting paintball rounds, the complaint said. After he shot the paintballs, Olson's gun appeared to jam and he yelled "You're lucky it jammed," the complaint said.

At that point, the reservists tackled Olson to the ground and held him until police arrived, the complaint said.

Olson told officials while in custody that he had just returned from Washington, where he attempted to deliver a message, the complaint said. Olson on March 3 told a National Guardsman that he was "maybe going to do something crazy stupid tomorrow" and asked them not to shoot him, the complaint said, citing U.S. Capitol Police.

Olson said he would cause a "mass casualty" event and that people would remember his name, the complaint said. "I am ready for this. How many people need to die for a message to get across?" he said, according to the complaint.