WASHINGTON, D.C. (WCBD) – A South Carolina man was arrested March 28, 2023 for allegedly assaulting officers over two years ago during the insurrection at the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Thomas Andrew Casselman of Walhalla, SC was identified after the FBI put out several images of him. Many of the photos showed Casselman spraying an orange substance presumed to be bear spray at law enforcement.

Tipsters told the FBI that Casselman bragged about being at the Capitol that day and showed them photos and videos of the trip. Casselman deactivated his Facebook for about three months, but tipsters provided screenshots confirming he was in DC around January 6, and the FBI was able to confirm the authenticity of the photos after obtaining a search warrant.

In addition to deleting his Facebook account, a witness told the FBI that Casselman also cut his hair after the riot.

  • Via DOJ
  • Via DOJ
  • Via DOJ
  • Via DOJ
  • Via DOJ

The FBI interviewed Casselman and he admitted to being in Washington on January 6, 2021. He told investigators that “he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder from January 6,” which is why he deleted the photos and videos from that day.

Casselman also gave the FBI an email address he created after January 6, but claimed it was his email address at the time, which “suggests that he may have been attempting to mislead agents,” according to the FBI.

Investigators discovered his email address from the time of the riots, and geolocation searches confirmed that devices associated with that email were present at the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

The FBI also found that between January 16 and 18, Casselman Google searched “charges for dc rioters,” “Capitol arrests list,” “how many times has capitol hill been breached,” “the statute of limitations for assault on a federal officer,” and “assaulting a federal officer punishment.”

Casselman was charged with with assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers; civil disorder; entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a dangerous weapon; unlawful possession of a firearm on Capitol grounds or buildings; act of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings; and disorderly and disruptive conduct in a Capitol building.