FBI arrests ex-Marine accused of assaulting officers inside the Capitol on Jan. 6
WASHINGTON — A former Marine was arrested by the FBI on Tuesday and accused of assaulting two officers as he helped fellow rioters breach the doors of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Kaleb Dillard, of Columbiana, Alabama, was arrested in his hometown after the FBI identified him as the man who appeared to throw a Capitol Police officer to the ground during the insurrection and appeared to shove another officer in the chest.
Dillard, 26, was charged with assaulting, resisting or impeding law enforcement officers and interfering with a law enforcement officer during a civil disorder. He was also charged with six misdemeanors.
Online sleuths investigating the Jan. 6 attack identified Dillard as the man who assaulted the officers last year, two sources said. The FBI affidavit unsealed Tuesday shows that the bureau received tips about Dillard's identity in the immediate aftermath of the attack, with one witness providing a screenshot of a message from Dillard confirming his identity on Instagram.
"Is that you?" the user asked, including a photo of Dillard that was taken through a window inside the Capitol. "Sure is hehe," Dillard replied, according to court documents.
Federal authorities obtained records from Dillard’s Instagram account in December that showed him exchanging messages about being in the Capitol.
The officer whom Dillard is alleged to have thrown to the ground, identified by the initials B.A., told investigators that things "got hazy for me" after he hit the ground. The other officer, who was alleged to have been shoved in the chest, identified by the initials A.W., said Dillard yelled at him that he had been in the military.
As of 2017, Dillard was a combat videographer with the Marines, according to an official military picture that features him speaking with actor Mark Wahlberg.
The Marines said Dillard was in the military for five years, from Aug. 2014 to 2019, and ended his career at Quantico, adding that he had achieved the rank of sergeant.
The FBI has arrested more than 850 people in connection with the Jan. 6 attack. More than 2,500 people entered the Capitol, and hundreds more are wanted for allegedly assaulting officers outside the building.
As NBC News has previously reported, the FBI has the names of hundreds of additional rioters who either entered the Capitol on Jan. 6 or are being sought on assault allegations and have not been arrested. The Justice Department has asked Congress for additional resources to bring such potential cases to fruition.
More than 350 defendants have pleaded guilty in connection with the Jan. 6 riot. The first eight defendants who faced jury trials were convicted on every count they were charged with. Several other defendants have been convicted by judges in bench trials, and just one defendant has been found not guilty.
