One of the leaders of the far-right organization, the Proud Boys, was arrested and charged by federal authorities on Wednesday after prosecutors said he partook in the violent unrest on Jan. 6.
Joseph Biggs, an organizer for the group, was one of the first demonstrators to breach the Capitol during the riot that resulted in the death of five people, including one police officer, FBI authorities said. Biggs allegedly entered the government building after a group broke a window and breached a door, but he denied forcing his way in, despite telling investigators that he was inside.
“Biggs informed the interviewing agent that the doors of the Capitol were wide open when he made entry into the building,” an FBI agent wrote in a criminal complaint. “Biggs denied having any knowledge of any pre-planning of storming the Capitol, and had no idea who planned it.”
Biggs purportedly told a fellow rioter, “This is awesome!” when asked about his thoughts on entering the Capitol, according to the complaint.
He faces charges of obstructing government proceedings, knowingly entering a restricted building, and disorderly conduct.
The Proud Boys, a group that self-identifies as “Western chauvinists,” has a history of confronting radical left-wing groups. In December, dueling pro-Trump and liberal rallies led to a violent Washington, D.C., clash that saw nearly three-dozen arrests and four people stabbed, the Washington Post reported. One of the violent incidents occurred near Harry’s Bar, which is reportedly a hangout spot for the group.
On Jan. 4, another Proud Boys leader, Enrique Tarrio, was arrested and charged with suspicion of destruction of property stemming from a similar political altercation after he alleged to have burned a Black Lives Matter flag.
