LENOIR CITY, Tenn. — A Knoxville man was arrested in Lenoir City for participating in the violence at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Michael Asbury, 43, is facing charges of civil disorder, entering or remaining in a restricted building, disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building, engaging in physical violence in a restricted building, disorderly conduct in a capitol building and committing an act of physical violence in the capitol grounds.
According to court documents, a tip was submitted to the FBI identifying Asbury as a suspect. A special agent with the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force said Asbury admitted to "moving with the crowd to the Capitol building" during an interview while attending the rally for former President Donald Trump.
Asbury told the FBI that he did not get closer than 15 feet from the building, but did see violence against law enforcement.
The FBI said they later interviewed a person who said he was friends with Abury for around 30 years. The witness told FBI agents Asbury posted videos on Facebook showing him cursing at law enforcement. According to the witness, the videos were removed shortly after Jan. 6.
The FBI said they also identified Asbury in the Lower West Terrace area of the Capitol building when reviewing security footage. In messages on Facebook, the FBI said he described the rally as "amazing." He also said he "shook hands with the officer who peppered me," in a public message, according to the FBI.
Asbury was also violently obstructive against law enforcement officers, according to court documents.
The FBI said Asbury moved into a tunnel defended by police officers at around 2:50 p.m. on Jan. 6, 2021. They said he appeared "to lean his full body weight against the rioter in front of him (with no one pushing Asbury from behind)." They said more people joined him, pushing against him to form a "heave-ho" effort against the police line.
They said around a minute later, the mob had lost its momentum and dissipated backward. However, they said Asbury stood at the mouth of the tunnel for around two minutes with "nothing appearing to prevent him from retreating."
According to court documents, Asbury handed a police riot shield to rioters outside the tunnel, as part of an effort to disarm the police. They said he appeared to throw a police shield toward the crowd behind him at around 2:53 p.m. and other rioters followed suit, taking shields away from police officers.
"Asbury then passed what appeared to be a functional stun gun out of the tunnel to a man in a blue jacket," the court documents say. "Asbury then kept moving forward toward the police line."
Then, the mob started another "heave-ho" effort, according to the FBI.
A third "heave-ho" effort started at around 2:57 p.m., according to the documents. They said the police eventually sprayed OC spray at the mob, and Asbury left the tunnel.
Around three minutes later, he was seen speaking with David Mehaffie, who directed the movement of rioters in the tunnel, according to the documents. He then went back into the tunnel at around 3:02 p.m. as rioters started a fourth "heave-ho" effort. Asbury worked his way to the front of the crowd, and officers sprayed them with OC spray again.
Asbury left the tunnel again at around 3:05 p.m. At around 3:17 p.m., he was seen cheering on another "heave-ho" effort from the mouth of the tunnel, according to the documents.
"Asbury remained outside the tunnel until at least 3:41:55 p.m. Asbury had multiple opportunities to leave Capitol grounds, but nevertheless stayed to obstruct the police," the documents say.
He was arrested in Lenoir City and made his first appearance in court on June 28. He is expected to make his first appearance in court in Washington D.C. on July 13.