Winston-Salem Man Becomes 5th North Carolinian Arrested for Involvement in Capitol Riot

 

Matthew Wood of Winston-Salem was arrested by the FBI for involvement in the Capitol insurrection on January 6th. He had voluntarily identified himself to the FBI on January 25th, after seeing his picture in a photo array of suspects. "He was interviewed at his home the following day. Investigators said Wood admitted he entered the Capitol through a broken window and walked into House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s conference room. He also claimed he didn’t intend to march on the Capitol building or disrupt the Electoral College process. He said he was pushed toward the window by the crowd and entered the Capitol in order not to be trampled" (WFMY News 2) -- none of which appears to be true.

Wood had published bragging posts about his participation on Facebook but deleted them before the FBI interview. The FBI was able to retrieve the posts, which along with video revealed that Wood was a very willing participant. "Investigators said ... he willingly climbed through the window with a Trump flag. They also said Wood was among the first group of people to breach the Senate Wing Door."

Investigators said while Wood was in [Nancy Pelosi's] conference room, the video reveals he was waving and encouraging others to "engage and confront law enforcement as they attempted to push rioters back and clear the Rotunda.”

They also said he posted photos from inside the Capitol saying, "This is the PEOPLES house. We sent those politicians running. We sent a resounding message to Washington. We the PEOPLE will fight for our country. Make no mistake, the Capitol Police were not our target, they stood between us and the ones we wanted. America has fallen into ruins of division. When diplomacy doesn't work and your message has gone undelivered, it shouldn't surprise you when we revolt."