Southgate man charged in connection with deadly attack on US Capitol

Anthony Williams is being charged with disorderly conduct and trying to obstruct official proceedings

SOUTHGATE, Mich. – The FBI had asked for tips from people to help identify those involved in the deadly Jan. 6 siege on the U.S. Capitol Building.

Anthony Williams, a man from Southgate, was identified and reported. Police said he likely deleted photos and videos from his Facebook page, but authorities were able to get copies anyway.

In a federal complaint against Williams, tipsters identified him by name and said he was inside the U.S. Capitol Building during the violent riots that left five dead and more than 100 police officers injured.

The tipster even supplied screenshots from William’s Facebook page. The FBI said photos of Williams inside the Capitol Building were deleted and perhaps Williams thought he was in the clear, but investigators were able to retrieve the deleted photos and videos.

The now-deleted media reportedly showed Williams with the rioters, posing near statues and police.

The FBI said Williams wrote on Facebook “We took this (expletive) building,” and took part in something he called “Storm the Swamp.”

The federal complaint said that Williams’ believed the Founding Fathers would be proud of his involvement in the deadly siege that federal officials called “an incredible attack on our institutions of government.”

Williams is being charged with disorderly conduct and trying to obstruct official proceedings.


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About the Authors:

Local 4 Defender Shawn Ley is an Emmy award-winning journalist who has been with Local 4 News for more than a decade.

Dane is a producer and media enthusiast. He previously worked freelance video production and writing jobs in Michigan, Georgia and Massachusetts. Dane graduated from the Specs Howard School of Media Arts.