ATLANTA — A man has been arrested in Georgia for his involvement in the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol, nearly two years after a mob stormed the building with the intention of disrupting the transfer of power from Donald Trump to Joe Biden.
According to a local police report, Richard Avirett was arrested in Cleveland, Ga. on Feb. 10. A local officer took him into custody when his license plate reader flagged him as a wanted person.
"Mr. Avirett appeared very shocked to hear he had an arrest warrant," the police report states.
According to Justice Department documentation, Avirett is alleged to have gone into the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. He was identified in a video posted by the news site Raw Story, walking through the office of Republican Idaho Sen. James Risch.
There is also bodycam video from the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington of him outside the Capitol on Jan. 6.
A DOJ "statement of facts" sheet notes someone who knows Avirett was interviewed about him more than a year ago, in January of 2022. The document states law enforcement at some point also obtained a warrant for his Facebook and found photos of Avirett at the Capitol on Jan. 6, as well as a Facebook message stating, "I'm inside."
The local police report, compiled by Cleveland Police, indicates he acknowledged being at the Capitol at Jan. 6.
"I advised Mr. Avirett his warrant mentioned a charge related to a capitol building. The warrant was out of Florida so I thought it was related to the Florida state capitol. Mr. Avirett said he was at the Capitol building and he had been talked to several times. I asked if he meant the Washington D.C. capitol and he said yes, on January 6th," the report states.
Avirett is known to reside in Florida, according to the DOJ "statement of facts" document. That document does not mention previous questioning of him.
A criminal complaint against Avirett was submitted on Jan. 19, 2023. His charges include entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds; entering and remaining in certain rooms in the Capitol Building; disorderly conduct in a Capitol Building; and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol Building.
Avirett is at least the 28th person with ties to Georgia to have been arrested for participating in the Jan. 6, 2021 riots.