WASHINGTON - A California man has been arrested on felony and misdemeanor charges related to his conduct during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.

           Kyle Travis Colton, 36, of Citrus Heights, California, is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with a felony offense of obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder and misdemeanor offenses of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building or grounds, and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building.

           Colton was arrested on Dec. 15, 2023, in Folsom, California, and made his initial appearance in the Eastern District of California.

           According to allegations contained in court documents, Colton was identified on closed-circuit video (CCV) footage taken from within the United States Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021, taking pictures in the Capitol with what appeared to be a mobile telephone. Colton was later identified among a crowd of rioters in the Capitol Rotunda engaged in a physical confrontation with law enforcement officers.

           Body-worn camera footage taken from Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers in the Rotunda revealed Colton failing to obey orders given by law enforcement officers to leave the Rotunda. Instead, Colton stood in line as rioters continued confrontations with police officers. Court documents say that officers then initiated crowd-clearing measures, including forming a police line, giving loud verbal commands, and using batons to move persons toward the exit door. However, Colton only moved when the crowd was physically pushed towards the exit and remained standing side-by-side with other rioters who were combating law enforcement officers. At one point, Colton grabbed a flagpole that a rioter was using to assault an MPD officer. Colton gained control of the flagpole, which the officer had also grabbed, and then gave it back to the rioter, who then fled into the crowd of rioters with the flagpole.

           Colton exited the Capitol building at approximately 3:30 p.m.

           This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California.

           This case is being investigated by the FBI's Sacramento and Washington Field Offices. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

           In the 35 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,230 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 440 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.

           Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

           A complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.