5th Utahn arrested for participation in Jan. 6 riot at Capitol
Apr 29, 2021, 3:28 PM
FILE - In this Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, file photo, violent rioters storm the Capitol, in Washington. New details from the deadly riot of Jan. 6 are contained in a previously undisclosed document prepared by the Pentagon for internal use that was obtained by the Associated Press and vetted by current and former government officials. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)
(AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)
APPLE VALLEY, Utah — A Washington County man was arrested Wednesday in connection with a riot at the U.S. Capitol that killed five people and injured dozens of others. He is the fifth Utahn to be arrested in the Capitol riot investigation.
Landon Kenneth Copeland faces the following charges: assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers or employees; obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder; knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted buildings or grounds without lawful authority; and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
Federal investigators accused Copeland of entering the Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, where they say he assaulted law enforcement officials and “obstructed their efforts to carry out their duties,” according to the arrest warrant.
Copeland was seen attempting to breach the police security line while shouting at officers. Three separate videos appear to show Copeland grabbing a riot shield from one of the officers and pushing past the police line.
The video also shows him grabbing officers’ jackets and pushing them backward.
5th Utahn arrested after Capitol riot
According to the booking documents, Copeland had requested a week off work to travel to the U.S. Capitol for the rally. Upon returning to work, Copeland reportedly told an individual who has known him for several years — who spoke with investigators — that he got “into a scuffle with police outside the Capitol building.”
On Feb. 11, the FBI interviewed Copeland, who admitted to attending the rally and fighting with officers. However, he said he did not enter the Capitol building.
Prior to his arrest, Copeland wrote about his involvement in the riot on his social media accounts.
“I guess peacefully protesting at the Capitol is now illegal and they are trying to hunt us all down to try and teach us a lesson,” he wrote in a Facebook post Thursday. “Unfortunately only one option remains when we return. We bring guns and take the Capitol building without intention of being peaceful. This ends with the government bombing their own people. I had hopes it wouldn’t. But here we are.”
The case will be prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah assisted with the initial investigation.
In the first 100 days since the Jan. 6 riot, more than 400 individuals have been charged with crimes in the ongoing investigation, according to U.S. Department of Justice. More than 100 individuals have been charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.
