PORTSMOUTH, Va. — A Portsmouth man was charged for his alleged involvement in the 2021 U.S. Capitol attack that sought to disrupt the congressional certification of the 2020 presidential election, a court document filed by the FBI shows.
Jeffrey Etter faces several charges, including knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building without lawful authority, and engaging in disorderly or disruptive conduct with the intent to disrupt government business.
According to the document, on June 18, 2021, the FBI got an anonymous tip that Etter was one of the people who entered the Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021. The attack was instigated by supporters of former President Donald Trump who sought to overturn his loss to Joe Biden.
The document said that investigators used a photo from the Facebook page of CrossFit Slice, which was located on Churchland Boulevard in Portsmouth, to identify a man seen in a YouTube video showing rioters in the Capitol Building's Crypt.
The person in both visuals was wearing a distinctive pair of Nike running shoes, according to the document.
Based on records obtained through a search warrant, Etter's phone number allegedly "utilized multiple cell sites" within a geographical area of the Capitol building on the day of the attack.
The FBI also obtained body-worn camera and surveillance footage that investigators believe showed Etter around and inside the U.S. Capitol. The document said Etter was shown yelling "profanity and obscenities" at officers of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
On March 22, 2022, investigators interviewed Etter's neighbor, showing them his headshot and a picture allegedly showing him at the Capitol Building. The neighbor identified the person in both pictures as Etter.
Nearly two years after the attack, the FBI is continuing to find people who were involved, with crimes ranging from destruction of property to assaulting law enforcement personnel.
Anyone with information on those involved is asked to contact to FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submit an online tip at tips.fbi.gov.
This is a developing story.