US Capitol Riot

Garland Man Arrested for Part in Capitol Riot After Posting Photos on Facebook: Complaint

The FBI entered this photo found on social media into evidence as part of a criminal complaint against Daniel Phipps. Investigators say Phipps posted images on social media after going to the U.S. Capitol.
U.S. Department of Justice

A Garland man was arrested Tuesday in Corpus Christi charged with two counts linked to the Jan. 6 riot at the United States Capitol, according to a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Washington.

The Fort Worth Police Department shared information with the FBI on Jan. 12 that led the department to Daniel Phipps. Phipps posted a photo of himself on Facebook on Jan. 8 standing in the Capitol and holding an American flag over his shoulder, the complaint says.

The image above was included in the criminal complaint.

According to the complaint, the next day, he posted a photo of the exterior of the Capitol with accompanying text that said in part, "Everyone talks about being a patriot until its (sic) time to do patriot (expletive)."

He went on to write, "I went to DC. I helped take the Hill. I helped other patriots prevent antifa from damaging anything."

In the days after the riot, the FBI said there had been "no indication" antifa activists were disguised as Trump supporters at the Capitol.

The Fort Worth Police Department analyst who came across the initial post ultimately located a Daniel Dink Phipps with information that matched that of the Facebook profile, the complaint says.

The complaint says the FBI spoke to a witness who lived in the same neighborhood as Phipps and the witness confirmed the person in the photo at the Capitol was Phipps.

Phipps faces charges of knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building without lawful authority and impeding or disrupting official functions, and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, according to the complaint.

Federal charges have been filed against at least 115 people associated with the riot, including North Texans Garret Miller of Richardson, Larry Rendall Brock of Grapevine, Nolan Cooke of Savoy, Jennifer Leigh Ryan of Frisco, Guy Wesley Reffitt of Wylie, Troy Anthony Smocks of Dallas and Nicholas DeCarlo of Burleson.

To read the criminal complaint filed against Phipps, click here.

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