FBI scours social media, arrests 2 South Floridians in Capitol riot
Incendiary social media posts and anonymous tipsters led the FBI on Tuesday to arrest two South Floridians on charges tied to the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol. They are part of a growing number of arrests linked to the riot.
Felipe Marquez, 25, of Coral Springs, was charged with illegally entering the Capitol grounds and disorderly conduct. Marquez posted video clips on Snapchat that showed him storming the Capitol Building with other rioters and breaking into a conference room belonging to a U.S. senator, according to a criminal complaint.
Gabriel Augustin Garcia, 40, of Miami, is charged with aiding in civil disorder, illegal entry into the Capitol and disorderly conduct.
Garcia, a former captain in the United States Army, uploaded Facebook Live videos showing him at the very center of a violent standoff between rioters and police inside the Capitol Building. In the videos, he hurled insults at police and seemed to revel in the chaos. The FBl used social media evidence and tips from the public to track down both men.
Since the Jan. 6 break-in at the Capitol, which resulted in at least five deaths and dozens of injured police officers, more than 100 people have been arrested, according to acting Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen.
At least nine people, including Marquez and Garcia, have been arrested from Florida. They are charged with everything from trespassing on the Capitol grounds to attempting to steal Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s lectern.
A number of planned rallies on Jan. 6 drew thousands of supporters of President Donald Trump to D.C. Many came from South Florida and some were armed with stun guns, batons, knives, bulletproof vests and pepper spray.
Rosen, in a statement ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on Wednesday, said more charges are coming thanks to the help of the public, who have submitted nearly 200,000 “digital tips.” He said many of the tips have come from the friends, family members and co-workers of people who documented themselves participating in the Capitol riot.
An office break-in
According to his criminal
complaint, a tipster who knows Marquez screen-recorded over four minutes of his Snapchat stories and shared them with the FBI.
They show Marquez driving his white Tesla from Coral Springs to Washington, D.C., and pointing out cars on the road with flags and signs in support of President Donald Trump, according to the complaint. One video shows him arriving to Washington, D.C. Marquez looks into the camera, mouths to a song and pulls from a vape pen. On his head is a red “Keep America Great” hat.
Later clips show him among crowds at the Washington Monument and among rioters scaling a wall on the west side of the Capitol Building.
At some point, Marquez makes his way inside the Capitol. A clip shows him inside a conference room, surrounded by several others sitting and standing around a mahogany table. Marquez’s hand, holding the vape pen, is seen in the video, according to the complaint.
Further investigations by the FBI found that Marquez was in a private hideaway office that belongs to Sen. Jeff Merkley, of Oregon. On Jan. 6, Merkley posted a video to Twitter documenting the damage to his office after rioters were cleared out.
After an initial appearance on Tuesday morning, Marquez was released on $100,000 bond, according to court records.
As part of his release, he must surrender three guns that he owns as well as his passport. He will also be monitored by GPS surveillance.
A violent stand-off with police
According to a criminal complaint, Garcia uploaded three Facebook Live videos depicting him entering and roaming about the Capitol
Building on Jan. 6.
One video depicts him in the middle of an aggressive confrontation with U.S. Capitol Police, who are trying to prevent a rowdy crowd from advancing. At one point Garcia turns the camera onto himself and says, “We just went ahead and stormed the Capitol. It’s about to get ugly.”
According to the complaint, Garcia moves to the very front of a standoff, where Capitol Police have formed a line to stave off the crowd. After a man attempts to run through the line of police officers, the officers push him back and Garcia shouts, “You f——- traitors!”
He drops the large American flag he is holding and gets into a skirmish trying to take the man away from the police. “You ain’t stopping a million,” he yells. “You ain’t gonna hold a million back today.”
Later he yells, “USA! Storm this s—-!”
Police hold out their arms and batons to stop Garcia and the crowd from advancing. Garcia turns the camera to the crowd behind him and says, “Keep ‘em coming. Keep ‘em coming.” Some of the last moments of the video show the rioters breaching the line of officers.
In another video Garcia roams the Capitol and says, “Nancy, come out and play,” referring to Pelosi. Later he turns the camera on himself and says, “Free Enrique,” which the FBI said is a reference to Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, the Miami-based leader of the Proud Boys, who was arrested in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 4.
Tarrio did not respond to a request for comment.
According to Ballotpedia, Garcia recently ran for a seat in the Florida House of Representatives in 2020, but did not make it past the primary voting in August. In a candidate survey, he said he joined the U.S. Army in 2002 and served in South Korea and Iraq. He said he received a Bronze Star and an honorable discharge.