Watch the moment a Keys couple linked to Jan. 6 riots get arrested by federal agents

David Goodhue
·4 min read
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Video taken by security cameras at a Florida Keys municipal marina shows the moments a couple accused in taking part in the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riots arrived to shore in a dinghy and when heavily armed federal agents descended on the docks to arrest them.

Federal prosecutors also released photographs they say show the husband, 51-year-old Bryan Roger Bishop, taking part in the attacks on the Capitol, including when they say he sprayed a chemical irritant under the face shield of a Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department officer.

Bryan Bishop is accused of spraying two police officers that day in the face, temporarily blinding one of them, according to an FBI criminal complaint filed this week. He faces the more serious charges of the two, including assault with a deadly or dangerous weapon on a police officer.

A man sprays a Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police officer with a chemical irritant on Jan. 6, 2021. Federal prosecutors say the man is Bryan Roger Bishop, who lives in the Florida Keys.
A man sprays a Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police officer with a chemical irritant on Jan. 6, 2021. Federal prosecutors say the man is Bryan Roger Bishop, who lives in the Florida Keys.

His wife, Tonya Bishop, 47, was arrested on charges of trespassing and disorderly conduct within a restricted building.

Both were released on a personal surety bond Tuesday after appearing before a federal judge in Key West. They didn’t have to put up any of the $100,000 for each bond, but are responsible for the entire amount if they don’t show up for their next court appearance, scheduled for Aug. 17 in Washington.

A man sprays a Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police officer with a chemical irritant on Jan. 6, 2021. Federal prosecutors say the man is Bryan Roger Bishop, who lives in the Florida Keys.
A man sprays a Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police officer with a chemical irritant on Jan. 6, 2021. Federal prosecutors say the man is Bryan Roger Bishop, who lives in the Florida Keys.

Sources say agents and local and state police were set to arrest them on their boat in Marathon’s Boot Key Harbor Tuesday morning, but the raid got stepped up to Monday night after the Miami Herald reported earlier in the day that a D.C. federal judge signed off on warrants for their arrests.

The video, released Wednesday by the city of Marathon, shows the couple arriving to a marina dock in the dinghy they launched from their sailboat.

Bryan Bishop ties the boat to a cleat on the dock, and the two casually walk down the dock and off camera. Bryan Bishop is wearing shorts, a Hawaiian-style shirt and a dark ball cap. Tonya Bishop is wearing green shorts and a dark shirt.

About a minute later, FBI agents wearing tactical gear and holding M4 rifles arrive behind them in a boat. They get out and walk in the direction of the couple.

A man in a face gaiter is seen standing outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Federal prosecutors say the man is Bryan Roger Bishop. He was arrested in the Florida Keys Monday, Aug. 7, 2023.
A man in a face gaiter is seen standing outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Federal prosecutors say the man is Bryan Roger Bishop. He was arrested in the Florida Keys Monday, Aug. 7, 2023.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, which provided backup for the operation, along with a state fish and wildlife officer, said the couple was arrested without incident. The arrest was not captured by the city’s cameras.

Federal agents say they identified Bryan Bishop by matching photos of a man photographed at the Jan. 6 attacks spraying the police officers, entering the Capitol and moving around the grounds, with his Florida, Idaho and Minnesota driver’s licenses.

The FBI says a man seen in footage from the Jan. 6, 2021, riots at the U.S. Capitol is Bryan Roger Bishop, who was arrested in the Florida Keys Monday, Aug. 7, 2023.
The FBI says a man seen in footage from the Jan. 6, 2021, riots at the U.S. Capitol is Bryan Roger Bishop, who was arrested in the Florida Keys Monday, Aug. 7, 2023.

Also, FBI agents in June 2022 interviewed a person who has known Bishop “for several years,” and that person confirmed the man in the photos taken during the riots is Bryan Bishop, according to the criminal complaint.

Federal agents said the Bishops were part of a group that traveled to the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, the day of a joint session of Congress to certify the election of President Joe Biden.

The FBI says a man seen in footage from the Jan. 6, 2021, riots at the U.S. Capitol is Bryan Roger Bishop, who was arrested in the Florida Keys Monday, Aug. 7, 2023.
The FBI says a man seen in footage from the Jan. 6, 2021, riots at the U.S. Capitol is Bryan Roger Bishop, who was arrested in the Florida Keys Monday, Aug. 7, 2023.

MORE: Couple in the Keys are in custody, linked to Jan. 6 attacks. Read documents for yourself

According to the complaint against Tonya Bishop, she called her husband’s son on Jan. 4, 2021, while he was in prison, and told him: “On the 6th, Trump has called The Patriots together, a bunch of us are headed over there.” The call was recorded, the complaint states.

The Bishops married sometime after the Jan. 6 attacks, court documents state. Tonya Bishop went by the name Tonya Allison-Oberst prior to the couple’s marriage, the FBI said in its criminal complaint.

The FBI says a man seen in footage from the Jan. 6, 2021, riots at the U.S. Capitol is Bryan Roger Bishop, who was arrested in the Florida Keys Monday, Aug. 7, 2023.
The FBI says a man seen in footage from the Jan. 6, 2021, riots at the U.S. Capitol is Bryan Roger Bishop, who was arrested in the Florida Keys Monday, Aug. 7, 2023.

Bryan Bishop has an extensive military career in the Navy and Air Force, records obtained by the Miami Herald show.

U.S. Navy Lt. Andrew Bertucci said Wednesday that Bishop served from 1991 to 1995. His rank when he left the service was Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class, Bertucci said.

He then joined the Air Force, where he achieved the rank of Master Sergeant by the time he left the branch in 2013, according to information from the service.

Bishop’s was a flight medic in the Air Force, records show. His last position was clinical medicine flight chief.

He was highly decorated, earning awards including the Air Force Combat Medal, the Bronze Star, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Expedition Medal, according to records.

To date, more than 1,000 people have been arrested in connection with the attacks at the Capitol, and former President Donald Trump was indicted this month for what federal prosecutors say was his role in the events that led to the riots.

A man, who federal prosecutors say is Bryan Roger Bishop, is seen entering the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021. Bishop was arrested Monday, Aug. 7, 2023, and is accused of spraying two Washington, D.C. Municipal Police officers with a chemical irritant during the attacks.
A man, who federal prosecutors say is Bryan Roger Bishop, is seen entering the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021. Bishop was arrested Monday, Aug. 7, 2023, and is accused of spraying two Washington, D.C. Municipal Police officers with a chemical irritant during the attacks.