Georgia Man Arrested for Alleged Involvement in U.S. Capitol Riot
WASHINGTON – A resident of Alpharetta, Georgia, has been apprehended in connection with the January 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. The man’s alleged actions, alongside others, interrupted a joint session of Congress that was in the process of certifying the electoral votes from the 2020 presidential election.
Cylester Maxwell, aged 42, faces a series of charges filed in the District of Columbia. These include felony counts of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers using a dangerous weapon, as well as civil disorder.
Beyond the felony charges, Maxwell is accused of misdemeanor offenses such as entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct, engaging in physical violence, and acts of physical violence in Capitol grounds.
Maxwell was detained in Georgia and is slated for an initial court appearance in the Northern District of Georgia.
Court documents reveal that Maxwell was identified through video footage from January 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C. The footage reportedly shows him marching with a crowd from the “Stop the Steal” rally to the Capitol building. By approximately 1:35 p.m., he was seen on restricted Capitol grounds, near the front of a crowd confronting police on the West Plaza.
Shortly before 1:40 p.m., rioters began moving a large metal-framed “TRUMP” sign towards the police line. The sign was described as being eight feet tall, ten feet wide, and equipped with large wheels. Allegedly, Maxwell raised his fist in support and assisted in moving the sign, eventually helping to push it towards the police line.
Video evidence further shows Maxwell pulling a barricade away from the police line around 2:10 p.m. on the West Plaza, and later joining the front of the mob that breached the police line. He remained on or near the West Plaza as the rioters advanced into the Capitol.
This case is under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Support has been provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia.
The investigation is being conducted by the FBI’s Atlanta and Washington Field Offices, with assistance from the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.
Since January 6, 2021, over 1,532 individuals have been charged across nearly all 50 states for their roles in the Capitol breach, with more than 571 individuals accused of assaulting or impeding law enforcement. 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.
