Photo: Getty Images
A former NFL linebacker has been arrested for his role in the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, CNN reports.
31-year-old Antwione Williams, who was drafted by the Detroit Lions in 2016, was allegedly one of the first rioters to breach the Capitol during the attack, a criminal complaint by the US Attorney’s Office in Washington, DC states.
“Williams pushed through a group of rioters that formed … and attacked and overcame the U.S. Capitol Police officers,” according to the complaint.
Prosecutors said Williams engaged in violent confrontations with police, pulling bike racks from law enforcement and striking an officer on the head.
Video also shows Williams lunging at an officer who was “deploying spray to prevent rioters from taking one of the bike racks” being used to hold back the crowd, according to the complaint. Williams later “grabbed and pushed two officers” while rioters were trying to push past police lines.
Images from the riot and Williams' social media account led FBI agents to the linebacker, who is now a part of the UFL.
Williams was arrested Thursday (November 14) on charges including assaulting and impeding officers, civil disorder, entering restricted grounds, and disorderly conduct within a Capitol building. He is due in court on November 21 in Washington.
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