A Virginia man was one of two people arrested this week for assaulting law enforcement during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol.
John Walter Clark, IV, 36, of Culpeper, and Donald Ross Workman, 40, of Hereford, Texas, are charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with felony offenses of assaulting, resisting or impeding officers and civil disorder.
In addition to the felonies, the two men are charged with four misdemeanor offenses including entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building and act of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings.
The FBI arrested Workman in Hereford, Texas, he made his initial appearance in the Northern District of Texas.
Clark was arrested in Virginia, and he made his initial appearance in the Western District of Virginia.
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.
According to court documents, Clark and Workman attended the “Stop the Steal” rally on Jan. 6, 2021, near the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C.
There, U.S. Park Police uniformed officers took an individual into custody. A crowd, including Workman and Clark, then aggressively advanced upon the officers. In response to the crowd’s actions, the officers retreated into an enclosed glass structure known as the Visitor Screening Center at the base of the Washington Monument.
Workman, Clark and others then approached the glass, where they yelled at and taunted the officers.
Workman and Clark later made their way toward the Capitol building and chased U.S. Capitol Police officers who were running down a walkway toward restricted Capitol grounds. Workman appeared to push a USCP officer who was attempting to prevent the two men from proceeding further onto restricted grounds. When the USCP officer pushed Workman back, Clark put himself between Workman and shoulder-checked the officer to get him away from Workman.
Workman and Clark were among the very first rioters to breach the Capitol Police line on the Maryland Avenue walkway. Clark allegedly threw a bike rack barrier to the side as he moved forward with Workman.
Once rioters breached the West Plaza, USCP personnel attempted to establish a barricade barrier on southern side of the plaza to prevent the rioters from proceeding further into the grounds or into the building itself. Workman, Clark and other rioters tried to prevent the police from doing so, by grabbing the barricades away from them.
Workman and Clark remained on the front line of rioters as the struggle with USCP continued.
This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s counterterrorism section. Assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Northern District of Texas and Western District of Virginia.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Dallas, Richmond and Washington field offices. Assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.
Insurrection tips
In the 43 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,488 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including nearly 550 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with tips may call 1-800-CALL-FBI or visit tips.fbi.gov.
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Crystal Graham
