STUART, Fla. — A resident of Martin County was arrested Wednesday in Stuart for his involvement in the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, prosecutors said.
The Department of Justice said the suspect, Troy Vincent Garrett, 48, is a member of the far-right Proud Boys organization.
He is accused of assaulting law enforcement and faces other charges related to his alleged conduct during the breach of the Capitol.
Garrett is charged in a criminal complaint filed in Washington, D.C., with felony offenses of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers and civil disorder.
The DOJ said that in addition to the felonies, Garrett is also charged with several misdemeanor offenses, including entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, act of physical violence in a restricted building or grounds and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building.
After his arrest in Stuart, he made his initial appearance before a federal judge in South Florida.
According to court documents, prosecutors said Garrett was identified in publicly available footage and images taken prior to him breaching the Capitol.
As Capitol police officers attempted to keep rioters from advancing beyond a police line near the south side of the plaza, prosecutors said video showed Garrett shoving a Capitol police officer's riot shield with his hand.
The DOJ said Garrett remained in this area and near the police line when a large blue billboard on a metal support frame bearing the message "TRUMP 2020 KEEP AMERICA GREAT!" was carried by a group of rioters into the Lower West Plaza.
As rioters began to drive the blue billboard into the police line, prosecutors said video showed Garrett approaching the rioters pushing the billboard against the police line and placing his right hand on the black backpack of another rioter who was actively pushing against the billboard.
Court documents said that rioters were ultimately successful in breaching the police lines on the Lower West Plaza, which eventually compelled uniformed police officers to retreat shortly after 2:30 p.m.
After police retreated from the plaza, the DOJ said images and video showed Garrett remained inside the restricted area of the U.S. Capitol Grounds until after 4 p.m., eventually moving to the north side of the Capitol.
In the 41 months since Jan. 6, 2021, the DOJ said more than 1,450 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 500 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony.
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