Kansas City, MO – Three Kansas City Metro men have been arrested on federal charges related to the attack last month on the U.S. Capitol, along with two others from Arizona connected to the KC Proud Boys, according to federal authorities.
FBI Special Agents and members of the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force arrested William Norman Chrestman and Christopher Charles Kuehne of Olathe, Kansas; and Louis Enrique Colon, of Blue Springs, Missouri.
Chrestman was arrested on federal charges of conspiracy, civil disorder, obstruction of an official proceeding, threatening to assault a federal law enforcement officer, knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority and disorderly conduct on capitol grounds.
Read the charges against Chrestman.
Kuehne and Colon were charged with conspiracy, civil disorder, obstruction of an official proceeding, knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority and disorderly conduct on capitol grounds.
Read the charges against Kuehne and Colon, along with the two others from Arizona.
The FBI said the men "acted in concert" to prevent law enforcement from controlling the crowd by obstructing metal barriers that had been placed to prevent the crowd's access into other areas of the Capitol building.
Court documents say the individuals not only moved close to each other in proximity, they appeared to gesture and communicate with each other before and while in the Capitol to coordinate their efforts.
Documents also note that Kuehne carried rolls of fluorescent orange tape. Images taken from the Capitol show strips of similar-style tape on each of these subjects, and others in the crowd.
Chrestman, Kuehne and Colon also wore tactical-style gear, including helmets and gloves, and Chrestman arrived at the Capitol with a respirator and a wooden club or ax handle disguised as a flag.
Documents note Chrestman was charged for threats to assault a Federal law enforcement officer, and for the "use and carrying of a dangerous weapon during the commission of the offense."
A portion of the charging documents works to relate the "Proud Boys" group with the attack in the Capitol.
Documents state Chrestman was seen within a group march led by Proud Boys organizers Joseph Biggs and Ethan Nordean, who were both previously charged in the attack.
A snapshot of video shared in the documents claims to show Chrestman was also seen as communicating with the man identified as Nordean.
Video referenced in the charging documents reportedly shows Chrestman yelling at Capitol Police officers, "You shoot and I'll take your ***king ass out!"
Authorities also allege that at a different point, as Capitol Police attempted to arrest someone from the crowd, Chrestman encouraged other members of the crowd to stop the officers, shouting, "Don't let them take him!"
At another point in the documents, authorities reference video reportedly showing Chrestman turning to the crowd and shouting, "Whose house is this?" The crowd then responded, "Our house!" Chrestman then shouted, "Do you want your house back?" The crowd responded, "Yes!" and Chrestmand shouted back, "Take it!"
Chrestman, in conjunction with two other people from Arizona who were also charged Thursday, can also be seen at one point obstructing metal barriers inside the Capitol with the club or ax handle he was seen carrying at multiple points.
Images of Kuehne and Colon were also captured on surveillance camera inside the Capitol near that barrier. In that video, authorities said Kuehne grabbed what appears to be a podium and placed the podium strategically in the track of one of the barriers, which would prevent it from closing. Authorities said Colon is seen grabbing a chair and placing it in the path of a separate barrier.
The charging documents repeatedly reference two other individuals believed to be from Arizona.
Both individuals, identified as Felicia and Cory Konold, are seen in images with the three Kansas City-area men repeatedly throughout the court documents. Both were also charged with federal charges of conspiracy, civil disorder, obstruction of an official proceeding, knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds on Thursday.
Documents also note that Felicia Konold is believed to have bragged about her role in influencing the crowd's actions at the Capitol on Snapchat after the event.
During the Snapchat video, she is listed in the documents as having "Never I could have imagined having that much of an influence on events that unfolded today."
She also said she had just been "recruited into a ***king chapter from Kansas City" even though she wasn't from Kansas City, but told the individuals she was "with them now." She then displayed a two-sided "challenge coin" that appears to have markings that designate it as belonging to the Kansas City Proud Boys, documents state.
