WASHINGTON — A North Carolina man was arrested on Thursday on multiple charges related to his alleged involvement in the January 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. The individual, identified as John Joseph Carl, 41, of Pinetops, North Carolina, faces both felony and misdemeanor charges for his actions during the attack that disrupted a joint session of Congress convened to certify the electoral votes for the 2020 presidential election.
Carl, a police officer in North Carolina, was apprehended by the FBI in Pinetops on August 15. He was charged in the District of Columbia with a felony offense of obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder. In addition, he faces misdemeanor charges, including 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, and parading, picketing, and demonstrating in a Capitol building.
Court documents allege that Carl traveled to Washington, D.C., to attend a rally held by the former President on January 6, 2021. After the rally, Carl reportedly joined the crowd of rioters who confronted police officers on the West Front of the Capitol. Around 2:00 p.m., Carl was allegedly at the front of the crowd near the northwest scaffolding stairs, where he resisted police commands, raised his arms to push back against officers, and grabbed an officer’s arm and baton.
Later that afternoon, at approximately 3:05 p.m., Carl is accused of entering the Capitol building through the Senate Wing Door and making his way into a U.S. Senator’s office.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, along with the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section, is prosecuting the case. Assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina. The investigation is being led by the FBI’s Charlotte and Washington Field Offices, with support from the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.
The FBI had previously identified Carl as “BOLO #453” in its seeking information photographs. Since January 6, 2021, over 1,488 individuals across nearly all 50 states have been charged with crimes related to the Capitol breach, including nearly 550 individuals facing felony charges for assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation into the events of that day remains ongoing.
