ATLANTA – A Georgia man and his two adult sons have been arrested on charges related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
William Gallagher, 55, of Ellijay was charged Monday with civil disorder, a felony, and misdemeanor offenses of knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, disorderly conduct, and demonstrating in the Capitol.
The FBI also arrested Gallagher’s two adult sons – James Gallagher, 22, and Thomas Gallagher, 25 – on misdemeanor charges related to the attack on the Capitol.
According to court documents, closed-circuit television footage of the Capitol shows William Gallagher entering the Rotunda shortly after its doors had been breached. He then made his way to Statuary Hall and back to the Rotunda before placing calls to his two sons.
William Gallagher then participated with other rioters in pushing the Rotunda doors to open them from the inside.
Court documents say he placed his gloved hands on a Capitol Police officer and forcibly pulled the officer off the doors. He then put his hands on the officer again and, with the help of another rioter, pushed the officer out of the entryway. As a result, the Rotunda doors were breached, allowing rioters to stream into the building.
At this point, Gallagher’s two sons entered the building via the Rotunda doors and met up with their father in the Rotunda. The three men then made their way toward the Senate Chamber.
Law enforcement officers began clearing the area of rioters a short time later, and the three men exited the Capitol building via the Rotunda doors.
The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Justice Department’s National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Atlanta and Washington field offices, with help from the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.