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He was arrested in Provo riot; now, he’s been arrested for storming of the Capitol


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I present this as an information item. 
 

We had a rather extensive thread last summer about the BLM riot in Provo, Utah, in which a motorist was shot point blank for refusing to sit still while mobbers blocked traffic 

Now, a man arrested in connection with the Provo event has been arrested in connection with the storming of the Capitol last week  

 

Added later: Can’t get the item to paste. It’s from the Epoch Times. I’ll work on it later. 
 

The man’s name is John Sullivan. 

Edited by Scott Lloyd
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2 hours ago, Scott Lloyd said:

I present this as an information item. 
 

We had a rather extensive thread last summer about the BLM riot in Provo, Utah, in which a motorist was shot point blank for refusing to sit still while mobbers blocked traffic 

Now, he has been arrested in connection with the storming of the Capitol last week  

 

Added later: Can’t get the item to paste. It’s from the Epoch Times. I’ll work on it later. 
 

The man’s name is John Sullivan. 

I am aware of this as he was reporting on multiple news channels (both national and local) about what was going on inside.  What is your point however?

Some used this to suggest that Antifa was behind the riot.  I hope none of us here fall for that nonsense.   He was there as a counter protester and joined the group to document and report.  He reached out to several media companies to share his stories of what he witnessed.  He was not there to instigate the riot.  Antifa was not behind this. 

I am glad he was arrested though on both occasions.

Thread closing in 3...2...1...

Edited by pogi
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Just to recap, here is last year's incident in Provo:
 

Quote

Deseret News, July 10, 2020, https://www.deseret.com/utah/2020/7/10/21320220/organizer-of-provo-protest-arrested-accused-of-rioting-making-threats ,
John Earle Sullivan, 25, of Sandy, was booked into the Utah County Jail for investigation of rioting, making a threat of violence and criminal mischief.

On June 29, a group calling itself Back to Blue planned to drive around the Provo Police Department and honk their horns to show support for law enforcement.

Another group planned a counterprotest at the same time and place. On Facebook, its event page was originally titled End Police Brutality but was later changed to Marching for Racial Equality. The Facebook pages listed the event’s hosts as the groups Insurgence, Solidarity for Justice, Salt Lake Equal Rights Movement and the Salt Lake Antifascist Coalition.

Sullivan is part of the Insurgence USA group, according to a police affidavit.

“Protesters traveled through downtown Provo. The protesters did not obtain a permit for the event,” the affidavit states. “John Sullivan and Insurgence USA had social media postings promoting other protesters to join them.”

Between 80 and 100 people were part of the protest.

“The protest traveled on the roadways blocking motorists who have the right of way. John Sullivan blocked vehicles from freely moving lawfully. During the course of the protest, two handguns were brandished and two shots fired toward a motorist traveling to Home Depot. Vehicles were damaged by protestors as well as by John Sullivan,” the affidavit states.

“As a protest organizer John Sullivan is heard and seen as he is promoting protesters to block roadways, keeping motorists from traveling lawfully and freely.”

Sullivan was also captured on video threatening to beat a woman in an SUV, according to the affidavit, and then kicking her door, leaving a dent.

Sullivan was seen with Jesse Taggart — the man charged with shooting the motorist — throughout the protest, the affidavit states.

“As a protest organizer, John Sullivan is heard talking about seeing the shooting, looking at the gun and seeing smoke coming from it. John did not condemn the attempted murder nor attempt to stop it nor aide in its investigation by police.”

 

Edited by Robert F. Smith
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Fox 13, SLC, Jan 14, 2021, https://www.fox13now.com/news/local-news/utah-activist-john-sullivan-arrested-for-involvement-in-capitol-riots ,

TOOELE COUNTY, Utah — Utah activist John Sullivan was taken into custody in Provo Friday, over a week after he shared video of himself inside the U.S. Capitol as protesters breached security.

Sullivan, 26, was charged in federal court with:

  • One count of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority
  • One count of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds
  • One count of interfering with law enforcement engaged in the lawful performance of their official duties incident to and during the commission of civil disorder

The arrest document states Sullivan can be seen inside the Capitol building using a microphone as he told the crowd “we about to burn this s___ down,” “we got to rip Trump out of office... f_______ pull him out of that ****... we ain’t waiting until the next election... we about to go get that m__________.”

While in the Capitol, Sullivan was wearing a ballistics vest and gas mask.

In a video posted to social media last week, Sullivan said he ran into the Capitol building with the others to document what was transpiring.

"I was there to record," said Sullivan in a video posted to Periscope Friday. "I was there to let people see that situation in the best possible way."

Sullivan is the founder of Insurgence USA, an activist group formed after the killing of George Floyd in the summer of 2020. He says he voluntarily interviewed with the FBI in Washington, DC on Jan. 7.

 

Edited by Robert F. Smith
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24 minutes ago, Robert F. Smith said:

 

Thanks, Robert. 
 

This has pretty much what I was trying to post from the Epoch Times. You’ve saved me the effort. 
 

I think it contains detail that I, at least, wasn’t aware of, even though I had seen some of what pogi referred to. 

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54 minutes ago, pogi said:

am aware of this as he was reporting on multiple news channels (both national and local) about what was going on inside.

Unless he had press credentials, he was at best a sightseer of a riot.  Would be different if he accidentally got involved, but he went for that purpose as far as I understand him.  He appointed himself and news media went along with it like they did others in the crowd, using their clips.

Should be arrested IMO.

Criminal complaint:  https://www.justice.gov/opa/page/file/1354776/download

Affidavit:  https://www.justice.gov/opa/page/file/1354781/download

Edited by Calm
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According to the affidavit, Sullivan did more than observe:

Quote

SULLIVAN, DOB 07/18/1994, is a resident of Utah. Based on publicly available information and information provided by SULLIVAN in an interview on January 7, 2021, described further below, SULLIVAN is the leader of an organization called Insurgence USA through which he organizes protests. On July 13, 2020, SULLIVAN was charged with Rioting and Criminal Mischief by the local law enforcement authorities in Provo, Utah, based on his activities around a June 30, 2020, protest in which a civilian was shot and injured. The case is still pending.
12. The United States obtained a video of SULLIVAN, posted on YouTube, in which, while attending a protest in Washington, D.C., SULLIVAN can be seen telling a crowd, over a microphone, “we about to burn this [censored] down,” “we got to rip Trump out of office . . . [censored] pull him out of that [censored] . . . we ain’t waiting until the next election . . . we about to go get that [censored].” SULLIVAN then can be seen leading the crowd in a chant of, “it’s time for a revolution.”1...

In the interview, SULLIVAN stated that he was in Washington, D.C. to attend and film the “Stop the Steal” March on January 6, 2021. SULLIVAN claimed to be an activist and journalist that filmed protests and riots, but admitted that he did not have any press credentials.
14. SULLIVAN also stated that he was at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, when scores of individuals entered it. SULLIVAN stated he was wearing a ballistic vest and gas mask while there. He showed the interviewing agent the ballistic vest. He further stated that he entered the U.S. Capitol with others through a window that had been broken out. SULLIVAN stated he followed the crowd as the crowd pushed past U.S. Capitol Police and followed the crowd into the U.S. Capitol.
15. SULLIVAN further stated that he had been present at the shooting of a woman within the U.S. Capitol by a U.S. Capitol Police officer and that he had filmed the incident. During the interview, SULLIVAN showed the interviewing agent the footage he had taken, which SULLIVAN stated he had uploaded to the Internet. The footage showed the area immediately outside of the Speaker’s Lobby within the U.S. Capitol. I know from public source information that the Speaker’s Lobby is the hallway from which one can enter directly into the chamber of the U.S.HouseofRepresentatives. TheSpeaker’sLobbyissetofffromtherestoftheCapitolBuilding by doors with glass windows. The footage that SULLIVAN showed the interviewing agent included footage of individuals breaking out the glass from the windows in the doors leading into the Speaker’s Lobby, then a gun being discharged by a U.S. Capitol Police officer within the Speaker’s Lobby, and a woman falling back into the crowd from a position of climbing through the opening in one of the broken windows with a gunshot would. This woman was later identified as
6

Victim 1.
16. SULLIVAN also voluntarily provided two phone numbers and multiple social media
accounts and identifiers to special agents, including a YouTube account username, JaydenX.
17. At the conclusion of the interview, SULLIVAN stated that he was willing to voluntarily provide a copy of all footage he recorded within the U.S. Capitol to law enforcement
authorities.


 

Quote

After the crowd broke through the last barricade, and as SULLIVAN and the others approach the Capitol Building, SULLIVAN can be heard in the video saying at various points: “There are so many people. Let’s go. This —— is ours! —— yeah,” “We accomplished this ——. We did this together. —— yeah! We are all a part of this history,” and “Let’s burn this —— down.”
c. Later, SULLIVAN’s video includes footage of individuals climbing a wall to reach a plaza just outside the Capitol Building entrance, as seen in the screenshot below. As individuals are climbing the wall, SULLIVAN can be heard saying, “You guys are ——- savage. Let’s go!”


He is weirdly identifying with the rioters...doesn’t sound any different in the end.

Quote

SULLIVAN, once inside the Capitol Building, roamed the building with other individuals who unlawfully entered. During one of his interactions with others, SULLIVAN can be heard in the video saying, “We gotta get this ——- burned.” At other times as he is walking through the Capitol, SULLIVAN can be heard saying, among other things, “it’s our house ———-” and “we are getting this ———.”
g. In addition, several times during the video, SULLIVAN encounters law enforcement officers who are trying to prevent further advancement through the building by those who entered unlawfully. In at least two encounters, SULLIVAN can be heard on the video arguing with the officers, telling them to stand down so that they do not get hurt. Among other things, SULLIVAN can be heard telling officers, “you are putting yourself in harm’s way,” “the people have spoken,” and “there are too many people, you gotta stand down, the people out there that tried to do that ——-, they got hurt, I saw it, I’m caring about you.”
h. At one point in the video, SULLIVAN enters an office within the U.S. Capitol, as seen in the screenshot below. Once inside the office, SULLIVAN approaches a window, also seen in the screenshot below, and states, “We did this ——. We took this ——-.”

 

Edited by Calm
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I can’t copy/paste all the relevant stuff...he breaks a window supposedly by mistake, offers up a knife to help break through doors that have officers guarding them, he is the one to instigate breaking into a room...etc.

This guy is an idiot if he thinks calling himself a journalist allows him to damage and instigate damage and threaten lives.  He denied having a knife.

Edited by Calm
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21 minutes ago, pogi said:

I 100% agree.  

The guy is an idiot.

 

I wonder if it ever occurred to him that his behavior would be used as evidence by some that the riot was caused by antifa or left wing extremists.  Probably wouldn’t have cared as he seems to be infatuated by violence (given what I heard him say on a video in the Provo protest and what is reported as on his video of the Capital riot).

I also wonder how those who were using him for ‘press’ reports will respond when they find out he was intentionally ‘making the news’ he was reporting to some extent.

Edited by Calm
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This guy is certifiable IMO:

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/left-wing-activist-charged-in-capitol-riot

Quote

In an interview with Rolling Stone published Wednesday, Sullivan said he was putting on an act to build rapport with the protesters.

"I had to relate to these people, and build trust in the short amount of time I had there to get where I need to go," he told the magazine. "To the front of the crowd to see the dynamic between the police and the protesters, because nobody wants to see the backs of people’s heads from a far-off distance."

He apparently made it there. During the unrest, he tweeted up-close video of the moment a Capitol Police officer fatally shot Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt during the riot. It had been taken just a few feet away, at the height of the chaos outside the Speaker’s Lobby....

Sullivan, the founder of a Utah-based group called Insurgence USA, told Fox News last Thursday that he’d entered the besieged Capitol to "document" what was going on and to dispute "this narrative going around" that Antifa instigators had played a role in the riot.

So he is egging them on to “build a rapport” so he can dispute the narrative of Antfa instigators.  Mind numbingly dumb.

Edited by Calm
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1 hour ago, pogi said:

One rep is being investigated for leaving the backdoor wide open for insurgents to enter

This is for the Oregon state capitol I believe.  Looking at the full video, it looks like he just walked out and didn’t pay attention to the guy that caught the door...something likely okay on other days.  Since it takes time for other protestors to get there (the police get there too) and therefore unlikely there was a crowd by the door, it seems like he may have been unaware of a protest going on or there was a crowd.  Otoh, if he was aware there was a protest and there were security issues and he walked out without paying attention, he should be held responsible IMO.

https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2021/01/video-clearly-shows-rep-mike-nearman-helping-right-wing-demonstrators-breach-oregon-capitol.html

This happened Dec 21 as well.  The timing of the release right after the DC riot is suspicious, IMO.

https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2021/01/rep-mike-nearman-who-allowed-violent-demonstrators-into-oregon-capitol-issues-statement-showing-no-contrition-lashes-out-at-others.html

Edited by Calm
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3 hours ago, Robert F. Smith said:

TOOELE COUNTY, Utah — Utah activist John Sullivan was taken into custody in Provo Friday, over a week after he shared video of himself inside the U.S. Capitol as protesters breached security.

Sullivan, 26, was charged in federal court with:

  • One count of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority
  • One count of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds
  • One count of interfering with law enforcement engaged in the lawful performance of their official duties incident to and during the commission of civil disorder

The arrest document states Sullivan can be seen inside the Capitol building using a microphone as he told the crowd “we about to burn this s___ down,” “we got to rip Trump out of office... f_______ pull him out of that ****... we ain’t waiting until the next election... we about to go get that m__________.”

While in the Capitol, Sullivan was wearing a ballistics vest and gas mask.

In a video posted to social media last week, Sullivan said he ran into the Capitol building with the others to document what was transpiring.

"I was there to record," said Sullivan in a video posted to Periscope Friday. "I was there to let people see that situation in the best possible way."

Sullivan is the founder of Insurgence USA, an activist group formed after the killing of George Floyd in the summer of 2020. He says he voluntarily interviewed with the FBI in Washington, DC on Jan. 7.

I wonder why the story was datelined Tooele County when Sullivan was arrested in Provo. 

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30 minutes ago, Scott Lloyd said:

 

I wonder why the story was datelined Tooele County when Sullivan was arrested in Provo. 

He was booked into Tooele County Jail. 
 

https://www.ksl.com/article/50088017/utah-man-arrested-by-fbi-for-alleged-role-in-us-capitol-riot

 Not surprising:

Quote

Social media posts show that Sullivan is seeking to organize an "armed march" at the Utah State Capitol to "end government control" this month, an event featured on Insurgence USA's website. Black Lives Matter activists have noted that the march is not calling for Black liberation or the protection of Black lives. Sullivan is reportedly banned from Black Lives Matter...

Charging documents said that Sullivan recorded several hours of that protest and is seen in recordings "kicking vehicles and threatening drivers" and directing protesters to block intersections.

He comes across as antigovernment more than anything else. 

Edited by Calm
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Quote

"For me, it's important from the group and the people around me to see that side of things, to see the truth," John Sullivan said Wednesday night. "I don't care, like what side you're on, you should just see it raw."...

He said he was on the "front lines" of the protest as it turned from a peaceful march into a violent storming of the Capitol....

And I literally yell at everybody else, 'There's a gun! There's a gun! Don't go in there!' And a shot goes off. And she gets shot as soon as she goes through....

During that protest, a Provo man, 60, was shot in the elbow after protesters blocked his vehicle. Sullivan later admitted to police that he knew who the gunman was but failed to report it to authorities, according to the charges.

https://www.ksl.com/article/50083768/utah-activist-inside-us-capitol-says-woman-killed-was-first-to-try-to-enter-house-chamber

He keeps putting himself in the center, by his actions and when he tells his story. 

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1 hour ago, Calm said:

He was booked into Tooele County Jail. 
 

https://www.ksl.com/article/50088017/utah-man-arrested-by-fbi-for-alleged-role-in-us-capitol-riot

 Not surprising:

He comes across as antigovernment more than anything else. 

Very interesting. Thanks. 
 

I still don’t understand, though, why he was jailed in Tooele and not in Provo, where he was arrested. 

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I just saw the part of the CNN interview with Sullivan and the girl who was there with him said nothing. Like she knew, "Oh crap. He is lying his head off." I watched a 39 minute YouTube video he put up today and it appeared that the cops blocking the door moved out of the way because he told them others had gotten hurt and he didn't want them to get hurt. 

I've never seen the inside of the Capitol Building and it brought tears to my eyes seeing the mayhem in there. It hurts so much that we can't pull together during a pandemic when so many people are suffering. :( 

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32 minutes ago, Scott Lloyd said:

Very interesting. Thanks. 
 

I still don’t understand, though, why he was jailed in Tooele and not in Provo, where he was arrested. 

Maybe there wasn’t room or they wanted him closer to Salt Lake, but no room there?

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There appears to be some sort of agreement between the two detention centers:

https://slsheriff.org/documents/TooeleTransferFAQ.pdf

So he is probably meant to be close to the FBI SLC or maybe Federal Court, which I assume is in SL and currently he is placed in Tooele because of their arrangement with SL, whatever it is (maybe saves SL from having to build yet).

added:  Tooele takes in state and US Marshal holds

http://tooeleonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/9-24-19-Transcript-Bulletin.pdf

Edited by Calm
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Oh my gosh. He even showed the video with a commentary from himself and threatens to sue people who said he was arrested. Then he got arrested today. What a dummy! He so thought he got away with it. 

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