ORLANDO, Fla. – A Central Florida man was among those arrested Wednesday after Trump supporters breached the U.S. Capitol in what police called “criminal riotous behavior.”
Michael Curzio, of Summerfield, was arrested by U.S. Capitol Police on a charge of unlawful entry, engaging in disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
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Details about Curzio’s activity inside the Capitol were not immediately known.
According to online records, Curzio served eight years in prison on a charge of attempted first-degree murder. He was released from prison in February 2019, records show.
Capitol Police arrested five others, including John Anderson, of St. Augustine, and Matthew Council, of Riverview, Florida.
Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund on Thursday defended his department’s response to the violent breach at the Capitol, saying in a statement that officers “acted valiantly when faced with thousands of individuals involved in violent riotous actions.”
Sund said rioters “actively attacked” Capitol Police and other law enforcement officers with metal pipes. He added that the protesters discharged chemical irritants and took up other weapons.
Sund’s statement came after lawmakers from both parties vowed an investigation into how law enforcement handled the violent breach at the Capitol and questioned whether a lack of preparedness allowed a mob to occupy and vandalize the building.
Four people died in the mayhem, including a woman who was shot by Capitol Police.
“The violent attack on the U.S. Capitol was unlike any I have ever experienced in my 30 years in law enforcement here in Washington, D.C.,” Sund said. “Maintaining public safety in an open environment -- specifically for First Amendment activities -- has long been a challenge. The USCP had a robust plan established to address anticipated First Amendment activities. But make no mistake, these mass riots were not First Amendment activities; they were criminal riotous behavior. The actions of the USCP officers were heroic given the situation they faced, and I continue to have tremendous respect in the professionalism and dedication of the women and men of the United States Capitol Police.”
Another Florida man, Adam Christian Johnson, of Parrish, was identified by numerous people as the person photographed carrying a House lectern while walking and grinning through the Capitol rotunda. There was no word whether Johnson will face charges.
Meanwhile, a Sanford firefighter is under investigation after he was photographed at the Capitol. The Sanford Fire Department released a statement about Andrew Williams, saying, “We are aware (of the situation) and the firefighter is employed with the Sanford Fire Department. The Sanford Fire Department has begun an administrative investigation into the information.”