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November 2, 2023 - WASHINGTON — A Tennessee man has been arrested on felony and misdemeanor charges 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 2020 presidential election.
Michael Tyler Roberts, 34, of Knoxville, Tennessee, is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with a felony offense of civil disorder and misdemeanor offenses of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building.
Roberts was arrested on Monday, Nov. 1, 2023, in Tennessee and made his initial appearance in the Eastern District of Tennessee.
According to court documents, on Jan 6. 2021, at approximately 2:41 p.m., numerous United States Capitol Police (USCP) and Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers positioned themselves at the exterior archway, also referred to as the “Tunnel,” leading to the Lower West Terrace exterior door after having had their positions on the Lower West Terrace of the U.S. Capitol building overrun by rioters. Officers fell back to the Tunnel in an effort to prevent rioters from entering the Capitol building through that entrance.
At approximately 2:42 p.m., rioters began entering the Tunnel and attacking the officers. The rioters broke the glass and forced the doors open. In response, the USCP and MPD officers formed a police line blocking the building entrance. Numerous rioters sought to breach the police line that formed in the Tunnel, using various weapons and the force of their bodies to attempt to overcome the officers.
At about 3:54 p.m., surveillance footage from the area depicts an individual, later identified as Roberts, emerge abruptly from the mob near the south side of the Tunnel, moving swiftly over and on top of other rioters to get closer to the police line. Roberts is then observed from his position on top of other rioters grappling with police officers and grabbing hold of their hands and arms.
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 Tennessee.
This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Knoxville and Washington Field Offices, which identified Roberts as BOLO (Be on the Lookout) #266 on its seeking information photos. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.
In the 33 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,100 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 400 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.
Source: DOJ Release
