VERO BEACH — A local married couple seen on footage storming through the U.S. Capitol Building – pushing police officers while yelling obscenities during the Jan. 6, 2021 riots – were arrested this week, according to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. Federal officials recently released surveillance images of the couple at the infamous “Stop the Steal” rally.
The FBI arrested Andrew Joshua Johnson, 39, and Whitney Johnson, 44, both of Vero Beach, on Thursday following a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia. The charges come as law enforcement officials continue to make arrests in connection with the infamous Capitol breach, where thousands of people attempted to overturn the results of the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election that named Joe Biden as the commander-in-chief over former President Donald Trump.
“In the 37 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,313 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 469 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony,” federal officials said in a statement. “Their actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.”
The Capitol breach – which made international news – led to several deaths, including a rioter who was shot and killed by a Capitol Police officer.
The Johnsons made their first appearance in the Southern District of Florida. The couple faces several felony and misdemeanor charges.
Andrew Johnson was charged with civil disorder; entering or remaining in restricted buildings or grounds; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds; entering and remaining in certain rooms in the Capitol building; disorderly or disruptive conduct in the Capitol building or grounds and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building or grounds.
Whitney Johnson was charged with civil disorder; assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers; entering or remaining in restricted buildings or grounds; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds; engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly or disruptive conduct in the Capitol building or grounds; act of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building or grounds.
Federal prosecutors said the Johnsons attended the rally held in Washington D.C. Then, the couple, along with other attendees, marched from the rally to the U.S. Capitol building.
Surveillance footage captured Andrew Johnson walk through the Rotunda doors into the building. The man walked through the building and confronted a U.S. Capitol police officer on the gallery stairs, federal prosecutors said.
The video showed Johnson meet back up with his wife, officials said. The couple walked back to the Rotunda and then went separate ways.
Federal prosecutors said Andrew Johnson was shaking his fist and yelling at police while he was amongst a crowd of rioters.
“When an altercation broke out between another rioter and an officer in front of him, Andrew is seen and heard on video yelling ‘What the (expletive)’ and ‘oathbreaker’ repeatedly at police and aggressively positioning himself in front of and close to an officer’s face,” federal prosecutors said.
Body-camera footage showed Andrew Johnson pushing officers and yelling at them as they tried to clear people from the Rotunda, officials said. Federal prosecutors said Whitney Johnson struck and yelled at a Metropolitan Police Department officer when the official tried to remove her from the area.
Whitney Johnson eventually left the building. Officials said Andrew Johnson continued to yell at police as they brought him out of the Rotunda.
The FBI’s Miami and Washington Field Offices investigated the incident. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case.
Those with more information or tips can contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.
Photos provided by U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia
