FBI arrests man who wore gas mask, entered Capitol Jan. 6

A Georgia man who participated in the Jan. 6, 2021, riots in a gas mask and lied to the FBI about his involvement has been arrested, the Justice Department announced Wednesday.

William Beals was charged with lying to the FBI, a felony, as well as disorderly conduct and theft of government property.

According to federal investigators, Beals traveled from Tennessee to Washington, D.C., to participate in the Jan. 6 riots. He clashed with police lines early in the afternoon before briefly entering the Capitol building when police were overrun by rioters.

Beals entered the Capitol again later in the afternoon, this time donning a gas mask, and continued to clash with police.

After leaving the Capitol, Beals posed for photos with stolen Capitol Police equipment and posed on top of a Capitol Police motorcycle.

When the FBI questioned Beals about the photos in October 2021, he claimed they were fake or doctored and denied that he participated in the riots, investigators said.

“Authorities recognized tattoos on Beals’s hand and neck and pointed out the similarity to the tattoos in the photos. Beals stated that many people had the same tattoos and continued to deny entering the Capitol,” the Justice Department said.

More than 1,100 people have been arrested on charges related to the Jan. 6 riots, the department said.

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