John Sullivan, a man considered to be a left-wing activist, has been arrested for his role in the U.S. Capitol riots, according to several reports.
Sullivan admitted to being present during the siege of the Capitol, but he had claimed he was there as a journalist to “watch history.” Sullivan was charged in federal court in the District of Columbia Thursday with civil disorder, being in a restricted area and disorderly conduct, according to an affidavit obtained by The Salt Lake Tribune.
During the Jan. 6 act of insurrection, Sullivan shot footage of rioters breaking down police barricades and breaching the Capitol. He also has claimed that he took video of Army veteran Ashli Babbitt being by Capitol police near the House floor. The woman later died.
According to the affidavit, Sullivan told officials he was there to observe the chaotic scene and see what “they were doing.” However, federal agents revealed he did not have a press badge yet was wearing ballistic gear and a gas mask as he joined the mob that sieged the legislative chambers last week.
Once inside, Sullivan entered an office, according to the affidavit and walked over to a window to yell “We did this (expletive). We took this (expletive).”
In an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Sullivan said many of those at the riot were not violent. He said that Babbitt did not “need to die.”
“She didn’t have a weapon. She wasn’t being violent in any way,” he recounted.
He told police he had to join the riot to appear affiliated with the pro-Trump cause, because his life was at risk as a man of color in the midst of a predominately white group.
“I have to blend in to the (expletive) crowd because, you know, there’s a lot of people who wanted to hurt me,” he said.
Sullivan is the founder of Insurgence USA, a Utah group focused on police reform and racial justice that he formed after the death of George Floyd. An online fundraiser says the group wants to build local power to enable the community to “intervene in violence enacted by the state and government vigilantes.”
In July, Sullivan was charged with rioting and criminal mischief by the local law enforcement authorities in Provo, Utah, after organizing a June 30 protest in which one man was shot and injured, Newsweek reports. The case is still pending.
His arrest Thursday caught the attention of several conservatives, who claimed his involvement proved that Trump supporters were not solely responsible for the violent pandemonium that led to the deaths of at least five people.
Federal agents have arrested more than 100 people across the country who have been linked to the Jan. 6 incident. Many suspects face a variety of misdemeanor charges like unlawful entry, disorderly conduct and theft. Reportedly, some facing those charges will eventually face upgraded federal felonies as the investigation continues to uncover more details about the nature and extent of the rioting.
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