(WBEN) - "I was in a state of disbelief. It's just something I never ever would have thought would happen."
Bernie Tolbert, former Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo FBI Office, was stunned by the images coming from Washington on Wednesday but knows the work of federal authorities to track down those who stormed the Capitol is just beginning.
"There's a lot of pictures," Tolbert said. "They have certain facial recognition capabilities that can compare those photos to a database."
Tolbert added that there will be no shortage of leads through word of mouth to bring those who were inside the Capitol to justice, seeing how public the images have become. It may not take much searching either. Some of the most notable faces from the riot have already identified themselves by giving interviews.
Once identified, what charges could the rioters face?
"There's a lot of different charges, I think, coming out of this," said Attorney Paul Cambria. "From trespassing to destruction of property to maybe inciting a riot, there's a lot to look at."
The FBI is already asking for tips and media depicting rioting or violence from the public.
"It will be a thorough investigation," Tolbert said. "We made a big mistake in letting it happen, we can't make a mistake in glossing over it. I would assume it will be a thorough investigation and that the FBI will use all the resources available to them to identify these people... and these people should go to jail."