Texas Man Arrested on Felony and Misdemeanor Charges for Actions During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach

           WASHINGTON — A Texas man has been arrested on felony and misdemeanor charges for his alleged conduct during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. His alleged actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.

           Micheal Kieth Williams, 43, of Point, Texas, is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with a felony offense of obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder. In addition to the felony, Williams is charged with five misdemeanor offenses, including entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, entering and remaining on the floor of Congress, disorderly conduct in the Capitol building or grounds, and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in the Capitol building.

           The FBI arrested Williams on July, 30, 2024, in Texas and he made his initial appearance in the Eastern District of Texas.

           According to court documents, on Jan. 6, 2021, at approximately 2:53 p.m., it is alleged that Williams entered the U.S. Capitol building via the Senate Parliamentarian Door carrying a flag and proceeded to make his way toward the Senate floor. Williams and other rioters then allegedly made their way to the floor of the United States Senate, and while on the floor, Williams appeared to record videos and take photographs with his cell phone, waving the flag he was carrying and yelling, "This is our house!"

           Court documents say that other rioters around Williams yelled a variety of chants and proclamations such as "Take it, don't give it back to them now!", "Freedom!", "This is our house!" "We're doing this for God," and "We're doing this for Trump." Williams was allegedly on the Senate Floor for approximately six minutes and only left when a group of Metropolitan Police Officers arrived and ordered the rioters to leave. Williams exited the building via the Senate Carriage Door at approximately 3:10 p.m. Still, he remained on the Capitol grounds for more than an hour and a half until police forcibly removed the rioters.

           While outside of the building, court documents say that Williams made his way to the North Doors, where rioters continued to attack police and try to force entry into the building. At one point, Williams allegedly yelled at police officers as another rioter attacked them by purposefully tripping an officer with a metal bike rack as the officer descended the stairs outside of the North Doors.

           The officers retreated inside the North Doors and deployed chemical irritants at the crowd, such as pepper spray and fire extinguishers. It is alleged that Williams then aggressively waived the large flag towards officers for several minutes, thereby limiting their forward movement without risk of being struck and interfering with the effectiveness of chemical irritants being used by police against the crowd.

           At about 4:35 p.m., police officers in riot gear began pushing rioters away from the North Doors, and as the police advanced, Williams pushed into the police line. At one point, it is alleged that Williams extended his left arm and pushed toward the police line, further resisting the police advance. Williams continued to allegedly resist police attempts to clear the rioters by standing his ground, not backing away, and visibly bracing himself by raising his arm and lowering his shoulder.

           This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division's Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Texas.

           The case is being investigated by the FBI's Dallas and Washington Field Offices. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

           In the 42 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,470 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 530 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.

           Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

A complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.