Image by Richard Burton from Pixabay 

August 8, 2023 - WASHINGTON — A Florida man has been arrested on felony and misdemeanor charges, including assaulting law enforcement, related to his actions during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His 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 presidential election.

            Bryan Roger Bishop, 51, of Marathon, Florida, is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with civil disorder and assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers with a deadly and dangerous weapon, both felony offenses. In addition to the felonies, Bishop is charged with various misdemeanor offenses, including entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds; engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds; and engaging in an act of physical violence on Capitol grounds or buildings.

            Bryan Bishop was arrested on Aug. 7, 2023, and will make his initial appearance in the Southern District of Florida today. Authorities also arrested Tonya Bishop, 47, of Marathon, Florida, on misdemeanor charges related to her actions at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Tonya Bishop will make her initial appearance in the Southern District of Florida today as well. Bryan and Tonya Bishop are a married couple.

            According to court documents, on Jan. 6, 2021, at approximately 2:00 p.m., rioters at the U.S. Capitol building breached various barriers that had been erected on the west side of the building and were attempting to overwhelm police officers in the area. At approximately 2:02 p.m., a man, later identified as Bryan Bishop, wearing an olive-colored beanie, tan neck gaiter over his face, and outer grey jacket with an orange interior, emerged from the crowd of rioters and aimed a red colored device at the line of officers, assaulting the law enforcement officers by spraying them with an orange-colored chemical irritant.

            Additional video footage from that day depicts the incident from another angle. In this video, a man, later identified as Bishop, can be seen spraying two Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers in the face with a chemical substance. After spraying the first officer directly in the face, Bishop then sprayed the second officer in the face shield and then aimed the device at an upward angle to spray under the officer’s face shield and directly into the face.

            Law enforcement authorities also conducted a review of CCTV taken footage from inside the U.S. Capitol building and identified Bishop as he entered at approximately 2:39 p.m. Bishop is then seen walking amongst various rooms, including the Rotunda, Statuary Hall, and Statuary Hall Connector. While inside the Capitol, Bishop spoke with various individuals, appearing to ask for directions on several occasions. Bishop then exited the Capitol at approximately 2:56 p.m. through the East Rotunda Doors.

            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 Southern District of Florida.

            This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Miami, San Antonio, and Washington Field Offices, which identified Bishop as BOLO (“Be On the Look Out”) #466 on its seeking information photos.

            Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police, the Metropolitan Police Department, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), and the U.S. Coast Guard.

            In the 31 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,106 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 350 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. 

            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.