A former Detroit Lions linebacker has been arrested and charged with assault on law enforcement and other charges in connection with the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Leander Antwione Williams, 31, of Savannah, Georgia, was charged with resisting and assaulting a law enforcement officer, an imminent felony, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington.
Williams was also charged with multiple misdemeanors, including disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, physical violence on Capitol grounds, and entering or remaining in a restricted building, the Justice Department said. said in a news release Thursday.
The Justice Department announced that he was arrested by the FBI in Savannah on Thursday and will make an “initial court appearance in the Southern District of Georgia.”
Prosecutors argued that Williams joined one of the initial groups of rioters “in violation of a restricted permit on Capitol grounds” and attacked a Capitol Police officer.
The former fifth-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft “confronted and overpowered” law enforcement stationed at the perimeter, according to court records. He then allegedly tried to take one of the bike racks from a police officer who was trying to clear the plaza. As the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) tried to push back the crowd, Williams allegedly “lunged at the officers and struck the officers' hands as the officers sprayed them to stop the mob from advancing.” are.
He then grabbed the barricade. Metropolitan Police officers tried to push him back, but Williams allegedly resisted and “forcefully moved his arm, striking the officer in the head.”
Williams was identified as “AFO-419” (Assault on Federal Officer) in a photo released by the FBI.
More than 1,560 people have been charged in connection with the Capitol attack since January 2021, according to the Department of Justice. More than 590 people were charged with felony assault and obstruction of law enforcement.
