Social media users claim to have identified the protester who carried a podium from the Capitol Hill during Wednesday's violence. The man, pictured holding the podium and waving at the camera with a smile, was said to be from Florida.
The microblogging site's users identified the man as Adam Johnson and posted screenshots of his Facebook account tagging the FBI and Florida police. On his alleged Facebook profile, the man uploaded photos from inside the Capitol Hill during the riots. The man's Facebook account was locked after it was shared on Twitter.
In one photo that was posted on his Facebook account, the man is seen holding a sign stand – reading "Closed to all tours" inside the building. The protester in both the photos – the podium and the sign stand – wore the same beanie cap with "TRUMP" written on it.
One Twitter user who went by the handle @ParksBryan said the rioter was Adam Johnson from Parrish, Florida. "He's a 36 year old with a laundry list of drug, alcohol, etc charges," the user wrote. He also shared a screenshot of the rioter's Facebook's profile where he posted a photo of himself surrounded by people. The man captioned the photo: "Riot!!!"
Another user identified the man as Adam Johnson but said he lived in Bradenton, Florida. "Went to Lakewood ranch baptist church back when I knew him. His wife Suzi is a doctor. He mocked BLM protests online for months. Hypocrite and criminal," the user tweeted.
Law enforcement authorities are yet to identify rioters involved in the Capitol Hill violence.
'Via Getty'
Earlier in the day, some unaware Twitter users began identifying the man as "Via Getty" after Ryan Lizza, Politico's chief Washington correspondent, tweeted the photo of the protester. He captioned the photo: "Via Getty, one [of] the rioters steals a podium from the Capitol."
Soon after the tweet, some Twitter users circulated the rioter's photo and identified him as "Via Getty" and urged others to track him down. Following the confusion, Lizza issued a clarification saying that "Via Getty" was not the protester's name.
"To be clear, 'via Getty' is not a person. It just means that this photo comes via Getty Images," Lizza tweeted.
Wednesday's violent protests lead to the death of four people and Washington D.C. police arrested at least 50 protesters. The FBI launched an investigation and sought the public's help to identify the rioter.
