Illinois Man Arrested for Assaulting Law Enforcement and Other Charges for Actions During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach

            WASHINGTON — An Illinois man was arrested today for assaulting a law enforcement officer and other charges committed 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.

            William Lewis, 57, of Burbank, Illinois, is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with felony offenses of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers and civil disorder. In addition to the felonies, Lewis is charged with several misdemeanor offenses, including the destruction of government property, knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, and willfully and knowingly engaging in an act of physical violence in the grounds or any of the Capitol buildings.

            Lewis was arrested today in Burbank, Illinois, and will make his initial appearance in the Northern District of Illinois.

            According to court documents, Lewis participated in the riot at the U. S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Court documents state that Lewis deployed what appears to be wasp and hornet spray at law enforcement officers on three separate occasions on the West Plaza, then threw the depleted canister in the direction of law enforcement officers.  

            After the spray incidents, Lewis advanced to the Lower West Terrace of the Capitol grounds, where a stage was being constructed for the upcoming Inauguration. Here, Lewis used what appears to be a police baton to strike and break at least three glass panes of a window located immediately to the right (i.e., north) of the Lower West Terrace Tunnel. According to the Architect of the Capitol, the cost of repairing these three windowpanes was $1,761.

            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 Northern District of Illinois.

            The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Chicago and Washington Field Offices, which identified Lewis as BOLO (Be on the Lookout) AFO (Assault on Federal Officer) #283 on its seeking information photos. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

            In the 34 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,200 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 400 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.