Seneca man arrested for actions during Jan. 6 Capitol breach
WASHINGTON — A man from Seneca, Missouri, has been arrested on felony charges, including assaulting a law enforcement officer, for his actions during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The DOJ says his actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election. Read more from the press release below:
Kyler Joseph Bard, 26, of Seneca, Missouri, is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers and civil disorder, both felonies, as well as entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a Capitol Building or grounds, and engaging in an act of violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings.
He was arrested on January 13, 2023, in Joplin, Missouri. He is expected to make his initial appearance later today in the Western District of Missouri.
According to court documents, on Jan. 6, 2021, Bard was standing on a ledge on the Upper West Terrace of the U.S. Capitol, where officers, including Officer M.G., had formed a police line as a barrier. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Body Worn Camera (BWC) footage showed that at approximately 3:30 p.m., Bard was walking on top of the ledge and carrying a megaphone and, shortly thereafter, could be heard yelling “Move! Move! Move! We gotta push! We gotta push! Let’s go! We gotta go! Let’s go!” Bard then turned directly to Officer M.G. and, as he yelled “let’s push!,” Bard pushed Officer M.G. Officer M.G. repelled Bard’s assault, and Bard fell backwards.
Following the January 6 attack, images of Bard participating in the riot appeared on the internet. Based on the images, the FBI created a profile for Bard as moniker “AFO-447.” The FBI posted images of Bard to its website and to social media to seek public assistance in identifying him.
This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance is being provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Kansas City Field Office, Springfield Resident Agency and the FBI’s Washington Field Office, which identified Bard as AFO447 on its seeking information photos. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.
In the 24 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 950 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 284 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.
A complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.