QAnon believer accused of shooting paintball gun at Army Reserve in Pewaukee may take plea agreement

Ian Alan Olson, a 31-year-old Nashotah man and QAnon believer accused of firing paintball rounds at two reservists at the Wisconsin Army Reserve Center in Pewaukee, is considering a potential plea agreement regarding the federal charges against him.

According to court records, Olson’s attorney, Thomas Simon, on June 15 requested additional time to discuss a potential plea agreement with his client. Olson has a status conference scheduled for July 14.

On March 15, the Nashotah man allegedly drove a car spray-painted with QAnon slogans to the Wisconsin Army Reserve Center in Pewaukee and shouted, “This is for America,” before he fired paintball rounds at two reservists nearby, court documents said.

He also told intake staff at the Waukesha County Jail that he would “cause mass casualty” if he were released, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court.

Olson has been charged in both the Eastern District of Wisconsin and Waukesha County Circuit Court. Federal prosecutors charged him with attacking U.S. servicemen on account of their service and assaulting officers. In Waukesha County, he is charged with two misdemeanor counts of attempted battery and one count of disorderly conduct.

He is scheduled for a hearing in Waukesha County court Aug. 9.

According to federal court documents:

Olson’s car was spray-painted with the letter Q as well as the phrases “trust my plan,” “OMW to DC” — meaning, “on my way to DC” — and WWG1WGA, denoting the QAnon slogan, “where we go one, we go all.”

When he arrived at the reserve center, Olson saw two reservists about 15 yards away standing in a fenced-in parking lot. He got out of his car and shouted, “This is for America,” and fired two or three paintball rounds at them before the rifle jammed. The rounds didn’t hit the reservists.

“You’re lucky it jammed,” Olson reportedly said.

The reservists tackled Olson and held him until police arrived.

According to court documents, prosecutors said Olson has shown he has “extreme anti-government beliefs and violent tendencies” and that he is a believer in the debunked conspiracy theory QAnon.

Followers of the false theory believe “the world is run by a cabal of Satan-worshipping pedophiles and child-traffickers (allegedly largely comprised of prominent Democratic politicians, so-called ‘Deep State’ government employees, journalists, and Hollywood elite) and that President Trump is secretly working with Q and others to take down the cabal,” the complaint said.

When Olson was arrested, he told intake staff at the jail that he had just returned from Washington, D.C., where he failed to deliver his message.

Pewaukee police searched his car and found a gas mask, throwing knives, police scanner, two-way radios, a Taser and ballistic military-style vest plates. They also found a three-page, handwritten manifesto with multiple references to Q and “my plan.”

When police searched his home, they found an AR-15 rifle with a scope, suppressor and seven magazines loaded with armor-piercing ammunition. Olson’s family said he had several additional handguns they would turn over to police.

Olson traveled to D.C.

Court documents show Olson traveled to Washington, D.C., in March and was admitted to a hospital for psychological evaluation after he made concerning comments to the U.S. Capitol Police.

According to a report from the Capitol Police, on March 3 Olson approached a member of the National Guard in D.C. and said he was “’maybe going to do something crazy stupid tomorrow” and asked them not to shoot him.

Olson also said his actions would “be big” and that he was not afraid to die for his mission.

Court records show Olson was admitted to a hospital March 5 and stayed there for four days. He was diagnosed with a “brief psychotic disorder,” according to an arrest warrant.

Contact Evan Frank at (262) 361-9138 or evan.frank@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Evanfrank_LCP.