CAPE CORAL, Fla. — “They have a job to do, people broke the law, they need to be held accountable,” said Brendon Leslie, an independent journalist who documented the Chaos on Capitol Hill.
That's the reaction from many, including viewers on the Fox 4 Facebook Page, who wrote things like, “Arrest them all. I want to know who they really are.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation put out a statement this morning via Twitterasking for the public's help identifying those who were instigating violence in D.C.
“The stuff that they have, I’m sure they have these sophisticated cameras, and they'll run it through facial imaging to try to determine who it is, what their role was, and come back with federal charges on them,” said Dr. David Thomas, professor of Forensic Studies, FGCU.
Dr. David Thomas professor of Forensic Studies at Florida Gulf Coast University says it could take 6 months to a year before all charges are filed, ranging from federal destruction of property, weapons offenses, but also sedition.
“That basically means anytime that you possess property, damage property, interfere with the government in due process, in the acts they were doing yesterday, that raises to the level of a 20-year felony,” said Thomas.
According to Thomas, the evidence is there, and federal prosecutors have a solid case.
“So you're going to have to use the internet and what these groups did, and how they conspired, so that information that they've sent back and forth to each other, information that they post on their websites. I wouldn't be surprised if you see some raids or search warrants that followup after this in order to collect more evidence,” said Thomas.
Local trump supports in Naples say not everyone there committed a crime.
“I want people to understand and know that Southwest Florida patriots were not there to riot and we don't condone rioting and looting, but we do condone people being able to exercise their conditional right,” said Drew Montez Clark, a local Trump supporter.
“We can’t be preaching that we are against riots and then condemning those among us who are doing the same bad behaviors,” said Leslie.
If you would like to help identify those who instigated violence, be sure to submit tips and digital media directly to the FBI.
