65°
Leander Antwione Williams, 31, who now lives in Georgia, has been charged with assaulting law enforcement and other offenses related to his conduct during the breach at the Capitol nearly three years ago.
Court documents state that Williams was among the initial group of rioters to breach the restricted perimeter of the Capitol, pushing through a crowd that had gathered near a line of bike racks.
It is alleged that Williams "confronted and overpowered Capitol Police officers stationed at the Pennsylvania Walkway perimeter," and once past the police line, marched toward the Capitol's West Plaza as they attempted to form defensive lines against incoming rioters.
According to the DOJ, at around 1:15 p.m. on the afternoon of the insurrection, while Metropolitan Police officers were attempting to maintain control of the area, Williams is accused of seizing one of the bike racks, lunging at an officer, and swatting at another officer's hand as they deployed spray in an effort to stop the surge.
Despite escalating violence between rioters and police, court documents say that Williams stayed close to the front lines, often using other rioters as cover to mask his actions.
"At around 1:38 p.m., as recorded on body camera footage from an MPD officer, Williams approached the bike rack barricades again," court documents state. "A few minutes later, Williams allegedly grabbed a barricade with both hands, attempting to pull it back from the police line.
In response, officers tried to push him away, but Williams resisted and allegedly struck an officer on the head with a forceful arm motion before ultimately being pushed down the stairs.
Once repelled, Williams was undeterred, and shortly after 2 p.m., he allegedly "pushed against the bike rack line, attempting to break through the officers' defensive formation, but the line held temporarily," and he later shoved two of them in an effort to move forward.
Prosecutors say that Williams joined in chants of "USA" inside the Capitol while raising his fists and eventually left the area before 5 p.m. that day.
Williams was charged in a criminal complaint filed in DC for felony offense of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers and obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder.
He was also charged with misdemeanor offenses of:
Entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds;
- Disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds;
- Engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds;
- Disorderly conduct in a Capitol building;
- Act of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings.
Williams was arrested on Thursday and scheduled to make an initial court appearance in the Southern District of Georgia.
Drafted in the fifth round by the Detroit Lions in the 2016 NFL Draft, Williams also made stops with the Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks, Carolina Panthers, and had a cup of coffee for three months with the DC Defenders.
The complete filing from the Department of Justice can be found here.
Want breaking news in the DMV as it happens, or want to contribute? Join the DMV All Incidents Facebook group.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Catonsville and receive free news updates.
