September 20, 2024 – WASHINGTON— A Wyoming man has been arrested for allegedly assaulting law enforcement and other charges related to his 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.
August Garcia, 30, of Laramie, Wyoming, is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with felony offenses of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers and obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder.
In addition to the felonies, Garcia is charged with misdemeanor offenses of 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 disorderly conduct, act of physical violence, and parading demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.
The FBI arrested Garcia on Sept. 16, 2024, in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and he made his initial appearance in the District of Wyoming.
According to court documents, on Jan. 6, 2021, Garcia attended the "Stop the Steal" rally near the Ellipse in Washington, D.C. Following the rally, Garcia joined a crowd of individuals marching toward the U.S. Capitol. Open-source video captured him approaching the Capitol from the west along Constitution Avenue.
Garcia eventually reached the Capitol's West Plaza, where video footage depicted him standing near the base of the northwest stairs holding a bag that allegedly appeared to contain zip ties. As law enforcement was forced to retreat from the West Plaza, Garcia moved to the Upper West Terrace, where a large group of rioters had gathered. It is alleged that Garcia can be seen in video footage standing just outside a fire exit door known as the Parliamentarian Door, watching as another rioter repeatedly struck the door with an object in an apparent attempt to break through it.
Once the window of the Parliamentarian Door was shattered, the other rioter reached through the broken glass to unlock the door. During this time, Garcia allegedly stood behind the rioter and, after the door was opened, patted him on the back. Garcia then held the door open as he and others began to enter the Capitol building.
CCTV footage shows Garcia as one of the first rioters to breach the Capitol at approximately 2:42 p.m. via the Parliamentarian Door. It is alleged that in the footage, Garcia is seen charging at a U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) officer, wrapping his arms around the officer, and pushing him back several feet down the hallway. Garcia then allegedly pulled the officer against a wall before the officer managed to break free. At this point, it is alleged that Garcia extended his arms and pushed the officer's chest.
Despite the officer rejoining other USCP officers to form a defensive line, the crowd, including Garcia, surged forward. Open-source video from this period shows the crowd chanting "USA, USA" as Garcia emphatically pointed at the police. At approximately 3:01 p.m., Garcia exited the building through the same door he had entered 19 minutes earlier.
Five minutes later, Garcia allegedly breached the Capitol again, this time entering through the Senate Wing Door at approximately 3:06 p.m. CCTV footage revealed shattered glass on the floor and scattered furniture in the foyer. Garcia proceeded south toward an area known as the Crypt, passing various rooms and kicking the door of one. He later entered a room with windows facing the Upper West Terrace, where video depicts rioters drinking from a bottle. Garcia can be seen conversing with another rioter.
Garcia eventually entered the Crypt at approximately 3:09 p.m. and walked through as rioters chanted "WHOSE HOUSE? OUR HOUSE." Minutes later, he exited the Capitol building through a broken window near the Senate Wing Door at approximately 3:15 p.m., after spending roughly 29 minutes inside the building across two separate entries.
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 District of Wyoming.
This case is being investigated by the FBI's Denver Field Office, Cheyenne Resident Agency and the Washington Field Office. Garcia was identified as BOLO (Be on the Lookout) #495. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.
In the 44 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,504 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 560 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 & photos: DOJ Release
