Who is Duke Wilson? Capitol rioter seen wearing ‘CNN Fake News’ cap and assaulting cop with PVC pipe arrested
FBI's Salt Lake City Field Office agents arrested a 66-year-old man on Thursday for his involvement in the US Capitol riots on January 6. The US Attorney's Office unsealed a complaint against Duke Wilson, of Nampa, Idaho, which accused him of fighting with two police officers and also attempting to steal riot shields from others during the Capitol riots.
The unsealing of the complaint led to few details being released about how he had assaulted multiple police officers who were defending the Capitol building on the troubled day.
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Who is Duke Wilson?
Wilson, the 66-year-old man in question, was charged with entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority. In addition to this, he also faces charges of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers or employees; parading, demonstrating or picketing a Capitol building; obstruction of an official proceeding; and obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder.
The DOJ, in its statement, said that court documents allege that Wilson entered the Lower West Terrace tunnel of the Capitol just before 3 pm. He is said to have taken part in the riot by pushing through law enforcement officers. Wilson was spotted on body camera footage, surveillance footage, and videos on YouTube, in which he is seen assaulting an officer from the Capitol Police and another with the Metropolitan Police Department.
In one of the videos, he is seen taking a long PVC pipe and jabbing an officer with it in an attempt to force his way through a doorway in the Capitol. He had then thrown the pipe at the police. The US Attorney's Office cited court documents to also allege that Wilson lingered in the tunnel to the Capitol for about 14 minutes. He was also seen helping other rioters steal riot shields from law enforcement agents and push them to the ground.
According to a report in KTVB, which had access to the probable cause affidavit, Wilson wore a blue hat that said 'CNN' and 'FAKE NEWS' under it when he was in the tunnel. The FBI questioned Wilson's neighbors on January 27, and who identified him in one of the photos from a video that he was seen in. The officials also asked where Wilson was on January 6, and the neighbor informed the officers that Wilson was out attending a rally at the US Capitol.
A complaint against Wilson was filed by an FBI agent which US Magistrate Judge Robin M Meriweather signed on April 13, 2021. He happens to be the fourth individual from Idaho to be arrested in relation to taking part in the US Capitol riots. Also if convicted of the charges filed against him, he could spend 6 months to 20 years in jail.
As of April 15, more than 410 defendants have been arrested and charged by federal authorities over the riots, CBS News reported.