Kentucky man spotted in viral videos during Capitol riot now faces charges, FBI says
An Elizabethtown man has been charged after a video showed he was one of the first people to enter the U.S. Capitol and was one of several rioters chasing an officer through the building, according to the FBI.
Michael Sparks faces three charges in federal court — knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, violent entry/disorderly conduct on capitol grounds and obstructing law enforcement — after multiple anonymous sources turned him into the FBI, according to an affidavit filed in a D.C. court on Saturday.
The tipsters also provided the FBI with evidence from Sparks’ Facebook page, according to the criminal complaint. After President Donald Trump posted “JANUARY SIXTH! SEE YOU IN DC,” Sparks allegedly replied “I’ll be there.”
Sparks was allegedly identified by sources as the first person to climb through a broken window and into the building in a viral video from Brendan Gutanschwager on Twitter.
The FBI affidavit said that Sparks was later seen among a group of men who were chasing Capitol officer Eugene Goodman through building hallways and up the stairs in another video that went viral. Goodman had diverted the crowd from a door to the Senate chambers and the vice president’s temporary location in an office, according to multiple reports. That group of rioters was being led by a man named Douglas Austin Jensen, according to the FBI.
The video by Igor Bobic was shared by the Washington Post and seen over 10 million times on Twitter.
The man identified as Sparks was spotted confronting the police officer.
“We’re standing here for you as well,” Sparks said. He then continued by shouting “This is our America! This is our America!”
Other Facebook posts from Sparks allegedly said “a new dawn is coming. Be ready. Just pray and trust in the Lord.” Another said “TRUMP WILL BE YOUR PRESIDENT 4 more years in JESUS NAME. No need to reply to this just be ready for a lot of big events. Have radios for power loss etc. Love every body.”
Those who provided tips to the FBI were able to identify Sparks in several photos and videos of the riot, according to the affidavit.
The FBI was also able to match surveillance video from inside the Capitol building to identify Sparks, according to the affidavit. The timeline and locations within the building matched up with footage shared to social media, according to Special Agent Matthew Hamel, who signed the affidavit.
This story was originally published January 19, 2021 at 7:54 AM.