Image by Richard Burton from Pixabay 

January 22, 2024 - WASHINGTON — A Louisiana man has been arrested on felony and misdemeanor charges, including for assaulting law enforcement 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.

            Edward Richmond Jr., 40, of Geismar, Louisiana, is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with felony offenses of civil disorder, entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon, and assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers. In addition to the felonies, Richmond is charged with several misdemeanor offenses, including disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds, and violent entry and disorderly conduct.

            Richmond was arrested today in Baton Rouge and will make his initial appearance in the Middle District of Louisiana. 

            According to court documents, Richmond traveled to Washington, D.C., from Ohio with a group of approximately nine other individuals who planned to attend the rallies planned for the day. Richmond wore a black helmet, goggles, shoulder pads, an orange two-way radio, and a Louisiana State Flag patch on his chest during the attack.

            Court documents say that video footage taken from the U.S. Capitol building closed-circuit television (“CCTV”) footage from Jan. 6, 2021, depicts Richmond in the area of the Lower West Terrace Tunnel that day. This area was the site of some of the most violent attacks against law enforcement officers on January 6th. In addition to the CCTV footage, Richmond is seen on body-worn camera footage using a baton to strike law enforcement officers in the Lower West Terrace Tunnel multiple times.  

            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 Middle District of Louisiana. 

            This case is being investigated by the FBI's Washington Field Office, which identified Richmond as BOLO (Be on the Lookout) #182 on its seeking information photos. Valuable assistance was provided by the FBI’s New Orleans Field Office, U.S. Capitol Police, and the Metropolitan Police Department.

            In the 36 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,265 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 440 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.