Another Florida man has been arrested in connection with the Jan 6. insurrection at the U.S. Capitol in 2021, one of at least 127 Floridians out of nearly 1,500 people charged across the U.S., according to USA TODAY data.
Garth Nathaniel Walton, 32, has been charged with felony offenses of civil disorder and assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers and various misdemeanor offenses, a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Columbia said.
Walton, of Yulee, about 24 miles north of Jacksonville, Florida, was arrested Monday.
What did Garth Walton do during the Jan. 6 riot?
Police bodycams show a man identified as Walton on the front lines around 1:30 p.m., confronting a defensive line of law enforcement officers near a line of metal barricades on the Lower West Plaza on Capitol grounds.
"It is alleged that Walton went up approximately four steps, approached the line of officers, and grabbed a metal barricade and pushed it into the officers," the release said.
"Seconds later, after retreating down the West Plaza stairs, Walton again charged the police line and pushed the metal barricade into officers. It is further alleged that Walton then picked up a white pole and threw it at the officers."
The case was investigated by the FBI's Jacksonville and Washington Field Offices, the release said.
How many officers were injured or killed in the Jan, 6 riot at the US Capitol?
About 140 law enforcement officers were injured when thousands of supporters of then-President Donald Trump marched on the Capitol to disrupt a joint session of Congress as they certified the votes for President Joe Biden. Five have died since then:
- Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick died the next day from a stroke.
- Capitol Police Officer Howard Liebengood and Metro Police Officer Jeffrey Smith, who responded to the riot, died by suicide days later.
- Metro Police Officers Gunther Hashida and Kyle DeFreytag, who also responded to the attack, died by suicide in July.
By the end of the year, about 130 Capitol Police officers had left the force, the department told a Senate panel.
How many Jan. 6 rioters were from Florida?
As of July 17, Florida leads the nation with the number of rioters arrested, ahead of Texas' 104, according to a database maintained by USA TODAY.
Florida also has more than a third of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, the two most prominent far right extremist groups involved in storming the Capitol, charged for their actions on Jan. 6. Some of the most serious charges stemming from the insurrection have been leveled against these individuals.
Former Proud Boys National Chairman Enrique Tarrio of Miami was sentenced to 22 years in prison, the longest sentence yet related to the attack. Proud Boys member Joseph Biggs of Ormond Beach, who helped lead Proud Boys at the Capitol, was sentenced to 17 years.
Just a few weeks ago, Raymund Joseph Cholod of Tallahassee was sentenced to 40 months imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release.
Not everyone at the insurrection has been arrested or charged.
Sandra Atkinson of Fort Walton Beach was one of the people spotted marching through the doors of the Capitol building. Two and a half months later, Gov. Ron. DeSantis appointed her to the Florida Board of Massage Therapy. No mention was made of her involvement. Others across the country have run for office.
"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," the D.C. U.S. Attorney's Office said, "including more than 530 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony."
Trump has described the violent insurrection as "patriotic and peaceful" and has promised to pardon people convicted of crimes related to it on day one of his presidency, should he win.
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