Former NFL linebacker Antwione Williams charged in connection with Jan. 6 Capitol attack

CNN
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A former NFL linebacker was arrested Thursday and charged with assaulting law enforcement officers during the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, according to court records.

Antwione Williams, 31, who was drafted by the Detroit Lions in 2016 and later played for the XFL’s DC Defenders, now part of the UFL, was said to be among the first rioters to breach the restricted perimeter of the Capitol during the attack, according to a criminal complaint against him from the US Attorney’s Office in Washington, DC.

“Williams pushed through a group of rioters that formed … and attacked and overpowered the U.S. Capitol Police officers,” according to the complaint.

Prosecutors allege Williams participated in violent confrontations with law enforcement as part of a mob, and was captured on police body camera footage pulling bike racks from police and punching an officer in the head, according to the complaint.

He was also allegedly seen on open source video lunging at an officer who “deployed spray to prevent rioters from taking one of the bike racks” used to hold back the crowd, the document says. Williams “later grabbed and shoved two officers” as rioters tried to push past police lines, according to the complaint.

In December 2022, the FBI received a tip that led them to the former linebacker after sharing photos of people burglarizing the capitol. Agents confirmed his identity by comparing riot photos to images from his social media account, according to the complaint.

When he was arrested, Williams had a red key fob for a Chevrolet vehicle hanging from his waist that appeared to match a fob seen on Williams’ belt loop during the standoff, investigators said. There is also a photo on his Instagram account that shows him wearing the same golf hat he wore at the capitol on Jan. 6, according to the complaint.

Williams was arrested in Savannah, Georgia, on Thursday and faces several charges, including assault and obstruction of officers, civil disorder, entering restricted areas and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, court documents show.

Williams did not enter a plea Thursday during his first court appearance in Savannah. He was released on bond and will make his next court appearance on November 21 in Washington.

The attorney representing Williams in court told CNN he was unavailable for comment Friday.

“After rioters reclaimed West Plaza, Williams joined chants of ‘USA!’ and pumped his fists over his head,” the complaint states. “Williams took a few minutes to process the effects of being sprayed during that push, but eventually made it to Lower West Terrace.”

The January 6 attack resulted in over 140 police officers being assaulted, as well as over $2.8 million in damage. the US Attorney’s Office in DC said last week.

More than 1,561 people in nearly all 50 states have been federally charged in connection with the attack, more than 590 of them for assaulting law enforcement officers or obstructing those officers during a civil disturbance, according to the office in the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia. About 979 defendants have pleaded guilty and 210 have been convicted at trial.

CNN’s Andy Rose contributed to this report.