Police arrested a Utah man for participating in the deadly violation of the United States Capitol last week after the publication of a recording of more than half an hour that documented disturbing images of the crowd of Trump supporters breaking into the building and a woman being shot dead .
John Sullivan was arrested on Thursday and charged with civil unrest, violent entry or disorderly conduct and violation of buildings or restricted land. He is due to appear before a federal judge in the Utah district on Friday, according to the Justice Department.
Sullivan – who claims to be an activist, journalist and protest organizer – posted an unedited recording of the Capitol violation on January 6 online, where a crowd of pro-Trump supporters violently stormed the building in an effort to disrupt certification of the results of the electoral college affirming the president-elect Joe Biden
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Sullivan’s recording provided clear images of how some events unfolded in the midst of chaos, with clear images of some of those who participated and culminating in the fatal shot of a woman, Ashli Babbitt.
Babbitt, who was shot by the Capitol Police while trying to climb a broken window in the speaker’s lobby on the Capitol, died from his injuries. She was one of five people who died that day, including a police officer who died from injuries sustained in the attack.
Sometimes Sullivan can be heard narrating what is going on, although his face is never seen. Other times, he celebrates the violation of the Capitol, helps the rioters to break through the walls and offers a knife to those who wanted to invade and occupy the chambers of the Chamber.
“This shit is ours! F — yes, ”Sullivan can be heard saying during the breach.
“We got this shit. We did it together. F — yes! We are all part of this story ”, he continues.
At another point, he says, “Let’s burn this shit.”
Sullivan filmed several meetings with Capitol Police officers, sometimes resisting being instructed to leave the building, declaring that he was just recording and saying that they are outnumbered by Trump supporters and should step aside.
In an interview with Rolling Stone published on Wednesday, Sullivan said that many of the things he said to the cameras were a ploy to protect himself from the crowd of Trump supporters in the building and to have access to important points for filming. He said he willingly handed over any documentation he had to the authorities.
The criminal complaint against Sullivan confirms that he voluntarily participated in an interview with the FBI the day after the Capitol insurrection and that he cooperated with the delivery of his images.
The statement in support of criminal charges states that Sullivan identifies himself as an “activist and journalist”, but does not have press credentials. The statement also notes that on July 13, local police in Provo, Utah, accused Sullivan of disturbances and criminal acts related to a June 30 protest in which a civilian was shot and wounded. The case is still pending.
Sullivan repeatedly stated that he was only on the Capitol to document and report.
“He admitted, however, that he has no press credentials and that the investigation did not reveal any connection between Sullivan and any news organizations,” says the statement.
The deposition exposes much of what Sullivan said on camera – celebrating the violent violation, instigating protesters, suggesting different violent actions – as part of the federal government’s statement of the facts that support the probable cause of the three charges against him.
In the Rolling Stone interview, Sullivan said he was not afraid of being arrested.
“I didn’t do anything incriminating. If they were after me, I would have been arrested already. That’s right, ”he said.