West Virginia State Delegate Derrick Evans (R) was taken into custody by the FBI after he allegedly took part in the storming of the U.S. Capitol building following a “Stop The Steal” rally in Washington.
Evans, a Republican member of the House of Delegates, reportedly livestreamed video of himself and others roaming the Capitol. One video appears to show Evans saying, “We’re in! We’re in, baby! Derrick Evans is in the Capitol!”
On Friday, the Justice Department charged Evans with entering a restricted area, and new footage shows the moment FBI agents apprehended him at a home in West Virginia.
#BREAKING WV Delegate Derrick Evans has been taken into federal custody.
He’s charged after allegedly entering a restricted area of the US Capitol with rioters Wednesday.
A woman saying he was his grandmother came out telling us to leave as he was put in a car. #WSAZ pic.twitter.com/wK2RqFcaF7
— Chad Hedrick (@WSAZChadHedrick) January 8, 2021
In the footage, posted by NBC’s Chad Hedrick, Evans is seen in handcuffs being led by agents to a waiting vehicle.
A woman identifying herself as Evans’ grandmother soon appears, saying, “He’s a fine man,” before adding sarcastically, “and thank you, President Trump, for inviting a riot to the White House.”
Before his arrest Friday, Evans’ lawyer indicated he would not be resigning his position because he “committed no criminal act that day.”
He went on to claim Evans had traveled to the Capitol to “engage in peaceful protest, activism, and amateur journalism,” and that “given the sheer size of the group walking in, Mr. Evans had no choice but to enter.”
If convicted, Evans faces fines and up to a year in prison, though the sentence could be increased if “the offense results in significant bodily harm.”
So far, 82 individuals have been arrested in connection with the violent storming of the Capitol building, which left dozens injured, and 5 dead, including an Air Force veteran who was fatally shot by police and a Capitol Hill Police officer who reportedly collapsed after being struck by a fire extinguisher.
Cabot Phillips is Managing Editor of The Daily Wire’s Readers Pass. Follow him on Twitter at @cabot_phillips