FACT CHECK: Were No Arrests Made Inside The Capitol On January 6?
A post shared on Facebook claims no one was arrested inside the Capitol building during the Jan. 6 riot.
Verdict: False
Documents from the Department of Justice and the Capitol Police show several people were arrested inside the Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021.
Fact Check:
A large crowd of then-President Donald Trump supporters stormed the Capitol Building in Washington D.C. Jan. 6, 2021 in an attempt to stop the certification of the 2020 presidential election, according to Britannica. More than 900 members of the mob that stormed the Capitol building have since been arrested, Politico reported.
One viral Facebook post shared by conservative influencers Lynette Diamond Hardaway and Rochelle Silk Richardson, also known as Diamond and Silk, questions why no one was arrested inside the Capitol building on the day of the riot if crimes were being committed.
“Why was nobody arrested inside of the Capitol on January 6th if a crime was being committed?” reads the post. (RELATED: Was Clarence Thomas’ Wife One Of The Organizers Of The January 6 Riot?)
This claim that no one was arrested inside of the Capitol building is incorrect. When asked about the claim, the Capitol Police directed Check Your Fact to a press release showing a list of 14 people arrested at the Capitol that day, 10 of which were arrested for “unlawful entry.” Some of those named, including Bradley Rukstales and Michael Curzio, admitted to being inside the building when they were arrested.
The Department of Justice website also has information on its website about several people who were arrested for their involvement with the riot and charged with “Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building.”
This is not the first time misinformation about the Jan. 6 riot has spread online. Check Your Fact recently debunked a viral image that purportedly showed a statement from former President Donald Trump implying he destroyed evidence related to the Jan. 6 attack.