Former Detroit Lions Player Charged for Jan. 6 Involvement

According to an NBC News report, former Detroit Lions linebacker Antwione Williams was arrested in Savannah, Georgia, on Thursday. He is charged with assaulting police officers during the January 6, 2021 attack on the United States Capitol.

Williams is charged with felony counts of assaulting, resisting or impeding officers and obstruction of law enforcement. He is also charged with three misdemeanors related to entering and remaining on restricted Capitol buildings and grounds, disorderly conduct and acts of physical violence.

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According to the report, an individual known as "AFO (Assault on Federal Officer)-419" in FBI photos used to identify those who stormed the capitol. In December, a tip was sent in suggesting to authorities that AFO-419 may have been Williams based on photos from his Instagram account.

His Instagram account is currently private. The FBI pictures can be seen at this link.

Evidence from credit card statements and a red key fob helped authorities confirm the suspect was Williams.

Williams was a fifth-round pick for the Lions in 2016 out of Georgia Southern. He started three games his rookie season, collecting 27 tackles, two for a loss, and forced and recovered a fumble.

Williams was cut in 2017 and bounced around a few organizations, enduring a suspension in 2018 as well. He was last on the Carolina Panthers practice squad in 2019, but was cut before the season began.

Williams is suspected of being a part of the first group of rioters to breach the perimeter of the Capitol. He allegedly pushed through a crowd and confronted Capitol police. He also allegedly tried to push through a makeshift bike rack barricade before eventually striking an officer in the head.

According to the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, Williams remained on the Capitol grounds until late in the evening.

According to Williams' Wikipedia page, since leaving the NFL he enrolled in Atlanta's John Marshall Law School in 2020, graduating in 2023 with a Juris Doctor Law degree.