A South Carolina man was charged Tuesday after allegedly telling relatives he dressed up like an Antifa supporter, assaulted a police officer and stole gear from officers during the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
William Robert Norwood III is charged with theft of government property, obstruction of Congress, disorderly conduct on the Capitol grounds and entering a restricted building.
Mr. Norwood had planned to disguise himself as Antifa because he believed it would prevent him from facing consequences for any wrongdoing he committed while in Washington for former President Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally.
“I’m dressing in all black,” he wrote in a text message to a family member on January 5, the day before the riot, according to court documents.
“I’ll look just like Antifa,” he wrote. “I’ll get away with anything.”
The plot worked, Mr. Norwood bragged in text messages after the riot. He claimed he “got away” with the things that caused others to be “shot or arrested.” But once he donned a pro-Trump Make America Great hat, he faced consequences for his actions.
“I fought 4 cops, they did nothing,” he wrote, according to court documents. “When I put my red hat on, they pepper balled me.”
In a separate text message, Mr. Norwood also bragged that he “saved several cops from being killed from Antifa.”
“After I defended them, they assaulted me,” he wrote, according to court documents.
But his story changed dramatically when FBI agents interviewed him on January 22, court documents revealed.
When pressed about his claims of assaulting police officers, Mr. Norwood denied the allegation and said he was bragging to “sound tough.”
He also repeated his claim that he helped police officers from being assaulted, according to court documents.
Mr. Norwood also admitted that he took a police helmet and vest from a pile of equipment, but left it in a hotel room of another couple.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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