West Virginia Man Arrested for Alleged Involvement in Capitol Riot
A resident of Hedgesville, West Virginia, Joseph Michael Adams, 41, has been arrested on charges related to the January 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. His alleged actions, alongside those of others, disrupted the joint session of the U.S. Congress, which was convened to certify the 2020 presidential election results.
Adams faces a felony charge of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers, as outlined in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia. Additionally, he is charged with several misdemeanor offenses, including entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct, engaging in physical violence, and parading or demonstrating in a Capitol building.
The FBI arrested Adams in Martinsburg, West Virginia, and he made his initial court appearance in the Northern District of West Virginia.
Court documents describe Adams’s movements on January 6, 2021, beginning with his approach to the west side of the Capitol grounds amid a large crowd of rioters. He progressed toward the Northwest Lawn and eventually moved to the east side, where he entered the Capitol building through the Rotunda Doors at approximately 3:01 p.m., wearing a motorcycle helmet and carrying a flag.
As law enforcement officers entered the Rotunda around 3:00 p.m., they issued commands for rioters to vacate the premises. Adams reportedly entered the Rotunda at about 3:02 p.m., resisting police efforts to clear the area. Footage from body-worn cameras allegedly shows Adams pushing back against police attempts to disperse the rioters. At approximately 3:04 p.m., a police officer is said to have pushed Adams, who then lowered his head and braced himself to resist.
By 3:05 p.m., police again attempted to remove Adams. He allegedly responded by using his head to push back against officers before moving to his right and continuing to resist. At about 3:06 p.m., Adams reportedly stepped back to create space between himself and the officers, maintaining a defensive posture with his flagpole in front of him. Throughout this period, officers were heard instructing rioters to retreat.
Shortly after, Adams allegedly used his head to continue pushing against police and ignored repeated commands to withdraw. He then reportedly approached another officer, lowered his shoulder, and forcibly pushed the officer with his shoulder, head, and flagpole.
Adams exited the Capitol building at around 3:16 p.m. through the Rotunda doors.
The case is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of West Virginia.
The FBI’s Pittsburgh and Washington Field Offices are leading the investigation, with Adams having been identified as BOLO (Be on the Lookout) #524 in FBI images. Support has also been provided by the United States Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.
In the 45 months since the January 6, 2021, incident, over 1,532 individuals across nearly all 50 states have faced charges related to the Capitol breach. Among these, more than 571 individuals are charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, classified as a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.
A complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
